The Georgia Bureau of Investigation

has not completed its inquiry into the death of an inmate at the Fayette

County Jail.

James E. Eppinger, 30, died 10 days ago after a scuffle with jail personnel,

according to Joe Jackson, the special agent in charge of the Greenville

office.

But the autopsy report hasn't been completed yet, Jackson said. As of

Tuesday morning, the toxicology report still hadn't come back, Jackson

said.

GBI officials believe they know what caused Eppinger's death, but that

information isn't being released yet, Jackson said.

"The investigation is not over by any means," Jackson said,

adding that the GBI wants to speak with anyone who has information related

to Eppinger's death. "It's our job to find a fair and unbiased finding

of fact and we'll forward that to the DA to make the determination if

any prosecution is warranted," he said.

Once the investigation is complete, the case file will be forwarded to

the district attorney's office, Jackson noted. That's not unusual, since

the GBI usually takes such action with all cases it investigates, he added.

"It's certainly not unusual in the case of any death for us to give

the final case report to the DA," Jackson said.

Eppinger was injured during a scuffle with jail personnel as they tried

to move him from a cell, according to GBI accounts. Eppinger was transported

to Fayette Community Hospital for treatment, where he later died.

Fayette County Sheriff Randall Johnson requested the GBI investigation,

and he informed the agency of the scuffle after it happened, Jackson said.