DOUGHERTY COUNTY, Ga. (WALB) — Family members of a Dougherty County Jail inmate who died last month gathered outside the facility demanding answers about his death.

The protest for Marquis Kentrell Barney, 38, happened Friday, Aug. 14. Barney was found unresponsive in his cell July 18 and was later pronounced dead at a local hospital. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is leading the investigation into his death, according to jail officials.

>> Previous coverage: Dougherty County jail inmate found unresponsive, dies at hospital; GBI asked to investigate <<

Family members said they are protesting for more updates on the investigation, including the cause of death, and whether it could have been prevented.

“They are not trying to work with us. That’s how we feel,” Barney’s aunt, Jeanice Lewis, said. “Each time I go down there, the only thing they’re saying is that it’s still an ongoing investigation.

Chief Deputy John Ostrander said the jail was aware the protest was planned and said staff would accommodate demonstrators.

“If they want to protest, that’s their right,” Ostrander said. “We have an area that they can have to protest in. We’ll try to make sure they’re okay.”

Ostrander said the jail launched an internal administrative review immediately following Barney’s death and was satisfied with how staff responded.

“Within two to three minutes, we had medical staff in the cell performing CPR. Within six minutes, we also had oxygen in the room and an AED,” he said. “Seventeen minutes from the time the officer first saw it, EMS had been here, got him on a stretcher, and was leaving the pod.”

He confirmed the cause of death has not yet been determined and said that information rests with the state crime lab and medical examiner, not the jail.

“The cause of death has not yet been determined, as far as I know,” Ostrander said. “We haven’t seen an autopsy report or a death certificate, so we don’t know what it is.”

Ostrander also addressed the family’s concerns about a lack of communication, saying the sheriff personally notified Barney’s mother and has spoken with her on multiple occasions. He noted the jail communicates only with the next of kin.

“We have tried to be as responsive to the family as possible,” he said.

Because the GBI is leading the criminal investigation, Ostrander said the jail has no access to additional findings.

“It wouldn’t be good for us to be investigating ourselves to see if we did something wrong,” he said. “So we request that the GBI come in and do the investigation, them as an objective, outside third party.”

WALB reached out to the GBI about the reported protest earlier this week, regarding the cause of death and confirmation that no foul play was suspected. A representative said they have met with Barney’s family as their response.

“The GBI has met with the family of Marquis Kentrell Barney to discuss questions related to this case,” the agency said in a statement.

The family questioned the timing of the agency’s statement.

“So as soon as I contact [WALB], and y’all probably got in touch with the GBI. Then the GBI is going to come down to mama and let her know. That don’t sound right to me,” Lewis said. “It’s not giving [Barney’s mother] closure, and it’s not giving us closure, neither.”

WALB has not independently confirmed the timeline of the GBI’s visit to the family.

Ostrander said the cause of death could take months or more than a year to be officially determined through the autopsy report and death certificate.

Barney’s mother, who is the next of kin, has been the jail’s primary point of contact throughout this process

He was in custody for 296 days leading up to his death. He faced multiple felony charges, including forgery, three counts of identity theft and two counts of obstructing law enforcement officers.

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