Man who died at Jackson County jail identified as Independence resident
Jackson County sheriff’s deputies have released the name of an inmate who died after having a medical emergency at the Jackson County Detention Center last week.
The Kansas City Fire Department was called to the Jackson County Detention Center, at 1300 Cherry St., Oct. 19 on reports of a medical emergency, according to a previous press release from Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Ronda Montgomery.
Billy Joe Hercules, 44, of Independence, was transported to an area hospital where he died on Oct. 21, Montgomery said.
A preliminary investigation did not indicate a physical interaction between the man and jail staff, Montgomery said in the press release. However, the cause and manner of Hercules’ death remains under investigation by the Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office.
An official report has not yet been issued by the medical examiner’s office.
Hercules was being held in the Jackson County Detention Center on warrants issued by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office in Kansas, according to the jail’s inmate listing.
At the time of his death, Hercules was facing forgery, theft, identity theft and making false information charges, according to Johnson County court documents. Those charges have since been dropped by prosecutors following his death.
This story was originally published October 29, 2025 at 6:43 PM.
