Woman Found Dead and Decomposed in Hot Prison Cell

Georgia officials are probing the July 9 death of Sheqweetta Vaughan, 32, discovered in a segregation cell at Lee Arrendale State Prison where temperatures reportedly reached the 90s with minimal ventilation. The GBI could not determine cause or manner of death; the Department of Corrections currently lists the case as undetermined and believed natural pending final autopsy results. Policy requires 30-minute welfare checks in segregation, but a consulting pathologist told the AJC that decomposition signs suggest rounds may have been missed or warning signs overlooked—allegations the agency hasn’t addressed directly. A nearby prisoner reported Vaughan sought help a day earlier. The case re-ignites scrutiny of Georgia prisons’ chronic understaffing, heat risks in un-air-conditioned facilities, and medical oversight—especially for women, as Vaughan had given birth six months prior.

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Source: BET