NATCHEZ — Frederick Fleming, who was arrested Jan. 8 for murder, died Thursday afternoon in the Adams County jail of apparent natural causes, Adams County Sheriff Chuck Mayfield said.

Mayfield said Fleming, 45, 467 Cranfield Road, had been on suicide watch since his arrest on the same morning he allegedly fatally shot his wife, Eveyette Fleming, 46.

Jailers found Fleming without a pulse in his cell at 3:04 p.m. with no apparent signs of trauma, Mayfield said.

“No blood, no nothing,” he said.

Mayfield said Fleming was placed on suicide watch because of the circumstances of the alleged crime, which included a family member as the victim. At the time of his death Fleming was purposely on a cellblock within the sight and earshot of other inmates. Fleming was alone in his cell at the time of his death, apparently to prevent him from harming himself or others, Mayfield said.

Jailers had reportedly checked on Fleming two hours before he was found dead in his cell, and Fleming reportedly did not complain of pain, Mayfield said.

Mayfield said Fleming appeared to have died from a heart attack but he could not be sure.

“It’s just one of those things that happens sometimes, it doesn’t matter where (he was),” Mayfield said.

Coroner James Lee said he did not know the cause of Fleming’s death.

Fleming’s body was transported to Jackson Thursday for a state-ordered autopsy.

Lee said the state routinely orders autopsies when inmates die in custody of a correctional facility.

A preliminary autopsy report could take up to a couple of days, and a final report could take up to eight months, Lee said.

Mayfield said jailers went to retrieve Fleming from his cell for a meeting with his attorney, Deborah McDonald, when they found him dead.

Mayfield said Fleming had not displayed hostile behavior since his arrest. He said Fleming’s demeanor resembled depression, and he was behaving uncooperatively.

“It’s just hard to say,” Mayfield said of Fleming’s demeanor.

Mayfield said Fleming had been scheduled for a mental evaluation since his arrest, but had not yet received an order from justice court to be evaluated at the time of his death.

Mayfield said last week Fleming was involved in an incident with a jailer that included an altercation, but that no one was injured.

Lee said he noticed no trauma, other than an old abrasion over one of Fleming’s eyes. Lee said that the abrasion “certainly” did not indicate a cause of death.

Judge Charlie Vess ordered that no bond be set for Fleming until Fleming was evaluated.

The sheriff’s office responded to the call of a possible homicide at Fleming’s address at 5:52 a.m. Jan. 8. The call was made by Fleming’s teenage son.

When the dispatched deputy arrived, the officer found Eyevette Fleming — the suspect’s wife — lying on her side in the home’s dining area. She had sustained multiple shotgun wounds.

Frederick Fleming was on the scene, and Mayfield said deputies found enough probable cause to arrest him. He didn’t display an agitated demeanor.

The suspected murder weapon, a 12-gauge shotgun, was found outside the house.

The sheriff has declined to comment on a possible motive, saying that the incident was still under investigation.

Fleming was an Adams County employee who worked for the road department.

“This is a heartbreaking case,” Lee said.

“I know there’s some heavy hearts out there, and I have the same sympathy that they have.”