In Lake City, Florida, a female inmate was declared dead after being discovered unresponsive in her bed at the Columbia County Jail on Sunday evening. This incident marks the second inmate death at this facility within a week, as reported by the sheriff’s office.
The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office stated that deputies were notified of the woman’s critical condition by fellow inmates at approximately 5:07 p.m. She was found in her bed in the general population area of the jail.
Upon discovering her unresponsive, deputies immediately began life-saving procedures, which continued until paramedics arrived on the scene. Despite these efforts, she was pronounced dead less than 20 minutes later.
Preliminary findings did not indicate any foul play, according to a spokesperson from the sheriff’s office.
Given that the death occurred while the individual was in police custody, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) will spearhead a comprehensive investigation. They will collaborate with the medical examiner’s office to determine the exact cause and circumstances surrounding her death.
Because the person died in police custody, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) will lead an investigation with the help of the medical examiner’s office to determine the cause and circumstances of her death.
The woman was not immediately identified by CCSO as they worked to notify her family. First Coast News will provide her name here once it is released.
Just three days earlier, a male inmate was also found unresponsive in the jail.
The man, identified as 64-year-old Michael Millard, was discovered in his cell during the morning count and quickly pronounced deceased. Again, CCSO said foul play was not suspected and FDLE was conducting an investigation.
The sheriff’s office clarified that neither of the deceased inmates were housed in the area of the jail where a fire alarm was triggered on Thursday. The source of the smoke was determined to be a inmate-issued tablet which was being tampered with, according to the sheriff’s office. The inmates from the affected area were briefly moved to another part of the jail while it was ventilated.
