The sudden death of a pregnant woman at a Mississippi detention center has many questioning the suspicious circumstances surrounding her death.
Lanekia Michelle Brown, 37, was awaiting trial for a Trafficking of a Controlled Substance charge in the Madison County Detention Center when she died in custody. According to police statements to Brown’s family, she had been found dead by a nurse after complaining of stomachaches, WJTV 12 reports.
“They did CPR on her over and over…still didn’t get no response…. So he just said she was gone,” Brown’s mother, Margaret Johnson, said. Johnson says her daughter was about three weeks pregnant.
But when family members tried to gain more information about what happened, they hit a brick wall. They were not even allowed to identify the body, causing them to suspect foul play.
It’s not immediately clear when Brown died.
“I need to know what happened to her…where she at. They won’t tell me or give me no information. That’s my child,” Johnson said. “I love my child…. I want to know where my child is.”
The local sheriff’s office confirmed Brown’s death to news outlets and added that the investigation would be taken over by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations.