A 40‑year-old woman, identified as Amanda Leigh Snow of Gardendale, was discovered dead Saturday inside her cell at the downtown Jefferson County Jail in Birmingham. The grim finding has sent ripples through the community — and raised fresh questions about jail oversight and inmate safety.
Snow was found unresponsive at about 3:30 p.m. in a two-person cell, according to the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office. She was pronounced dead at 4:04 p.m. that same day.
At this point, authorities say there is no evidence of trauma or foul play. Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates confirmed that nothing about the scene suggested violence or external harm.
Snow had been booked into the jail at 6:21 p.m. on Friday night on charges of possession of a controlled substance/hallucinogen and failure to appear on a felony.
Still, the official cause of death remains undetermined. The Coroner’s Office says the final determination will await additional lab studies — meaning autopsy results and toxicology tests are pending.
For now, the community is left grappling with unanswered questions. Family, friends, and residents of Gardendale hope for clarity — not just on what happened, but whether preventable steps might have avoided this tragedy.
As the investigation continues, authorities have not released further details — but the case underscores how swiftly custody can turn tragic.
