Potosi Correctional Center Inmate Dies at Jefferson County Hospital

Potosi, Mo. (KFMO) - A resident at Potosi Correctional Center died Saturday morning after being transported to a Jefferson County hospital.

According to the Missouri Department of Corrections, 43-year-old Brian Hemphill was pronounced dead at 4:50 a.m. on Saturday, May 23, 2026, at Mercy Hospital Jefferson in Festus.

Hemphill was serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for convictions including first-degree murder, rape, and armed criminal action from Butler County. Records show he was received into the Missouri Department of Corrections on Sept. 17, 2004.

Officials say an autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death.