Investigations Open After Multiple Inmate Deaths in South Carolina and North Carolina Prisons

Two separate investigations are underway following the deaths of inmates in South Carolina and North Carolina correctional facilities. In Marlboro County, SC, an inmate died at Evans Correctional Institution, with the Marlboro County Coroner's Office conducting an investigation and scheduling a forensic autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death, while withholding the inmate's identity pending next of kin notification. Meanwhile, in Mecklenburg County, NC, the death of Sandi Hill, a 51-year-old inmate at the Mecklenburg County Detention Center, has prompted an investigation by the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) and cooperation from the sheriff's office. Hill was found unresponsive in her cell and later pronounced dead at a hospital; this marks the third fatality at the facility since August, raising concerns about detention conditions. The medical examiner is determining the precise cause of Hill's death, and the sheriff expressed condolences to her family while emphasizing the seriousness of any in-custody death. Both cases remain under active investigation as authorities seek to clarify the circumstances surrounding these fatalities.