Death reported at BamaJam

A camper attending the BamaJam music festival in Coffee County was found dead Friday morning.

Coffee County Coroner Robert Preachers identified the man as Ray Douglas Rhodes II, 48, of Jack. Rhodes had been camping at the festival with his family.

Rhodes went to sleep in an RV onsite at about midnight on Thursday. The next day his family found him dead.

“He didn’t wake up,” Preacher said.

Preachers’ original findings determined the cause of death as congestive heart failure, but Enterprise Police Capt. Mike Lolley said positional asphyxiation was the cause of death.

Lolley said positional asphyxiation can occur when someone’s position in sleep prevents them from being able to breath. It tends to occur more often among larger people.

Preachers said no autopsy will be performed and no foul play was suspected in Rhodes’ death.

BamaJam festival organizer Ronnie Gilley offered his sympathies to the family of Rhodes.

“We send our condolences to the family, it was an unfortunate event,” he said.

BamaJam, an annual music festival, is in its second year of operation. About 75,000 people showed up for the event’s first day on Thursday.