Man being held in connection to teen’s murder dies while in custody

A man who was being held on charges of first-degree murder in connection to a teen’s death has died while in custody.

According to the Scott County Sheriff’s Office, at 3:46 a.m. Tuesday, during health and wellness checks, corrections officers found 44-year-old Taran Cortez Miller unresponsive in his cell.

Miller appeared to be suffering from a medical emergency, the sheriff’s office said.


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Officers began CPR and continued lifesaving efforts until medical personnel arrived. However, Miller was pronounced dead at 4:33 a.m. after resuscitation efforts failed.

Miller had recently been placed in quarantine after an off-site hospital visit and was housed in a cell by himself at the time of his death, according to the sheriff’s office.

Miller was arrested and booked into Scott County Jail on March 3, where he was being held in connection to the murder of 16-year-old Samuel Alvin Keezer who was killed in a Target parking lot.