A teenage inmate was found dead inside her cell Tuesday evening at the Atlanta City Detention Center, officials said.
Noni Battiste-Kosoko, 19, had been in jail since May 20 on a misdemeanor bench warrant. According to records, she was charged with failure to appear in connection with a criminal trespass and damage to property case in Fulton County and a separate case out of Miami/Dade County, Florida.
During dinner rounds at about 6:35 p.m., Battiste-Kosoko was found unresponsive in her cell at the facility along Peachtree Street “with no obvious signs of injury,” according to Fulton County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Natalie Ammons. Medical personnel and Atlanta fire crews responded and pronounced the woman dead.
Battiste-Kosoko was being housed in an area of the at the ACDC that is controlled by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office. The Atlanta Police Department will investigate the death and the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office will perform an autopsy.
Atlanta Mayor’s Office spokesman Michael Smith said Andre Dickens convened a meeting with leadership to gather facts in the case immediately after his office was notified of the death. Dickens also reached out to county leadership and the Fulton sheriff’s office to express concerns.
“The mayor requested assessment of several items, including Fulton staffing levels at ACDC and their own facilities, an additional evaluation of existing Fulton detainees, an accounting of current detainees and the reason for detention, and other items,” Smith said.
Battiste-Kosoko was charged with criminal trespass and damage to property after she damaged walls and tables at Langston Hughes High School in February, court documents detail. Records reveal she was supposed to appear in court May 8 but failed to do so, leading to her most recent arrest by Union City police.
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