COLUMBIA, S.C. — Richland County investigators are working to determine how a detainee at the Richland County jail died. The woman was found dead inside a cell at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.
The Richland County Coroner's Office, which is one of two agencies leading the investigation, has not publicly identified the inmate nor her cause of death.
According to the Richland County Sheriff's Department, the person was a 22-year-old woman. It's the latest incident at the jail, which is already facing a federal investigation.
A Richland County spokesperson said corrections officers found the detainee unresponsive at the jail around 10:30 p.m. Saturday. Neither the county nor deputies said if they had any indication of how she died.
The Richland County government, which operates the jail, said the detainee didn't have a roommate. The county said it was "devastated by this loss of life."
According to Richland County officials, she was at the jail on charges of discharging firearms into a dwelling, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and accessory after the fact of a felony.
This is the first known death at the jail this year. But in the previous year, a series of deaths was part of why the U.S. Department of Justice launched a federal investigation last November. The Department of Justice said there was credible evidence of structural issues at the jail that led to stabbings and other assaults.
Since the beginning of 2024, there have been at least four stabbings. The first happened on Jan. 2 between two detainees who were later hospitalized. Other stabbings followed on Jan 3, 7, and 16.
In addition to stabbings, Alvin S. Glenn has had 11 employees arrested since the start of the year. Deputies made the latest arrest of an employee on March 1. Investigators accused the employee of taking money from a detainee. The jail terminated other employees after investigators found evidence that they supplied contraband to inmates or were involved in misconduct or civil rights violations.
The South Carolina Department of Corrections has some oversight of the jail and has been working with the facility to establish improvements. Alvin S. Glenn leaders have until March 15 to update the facility's corrective action plan and submit it to the state agency.
The Richland County Sheriff's Department and the county coroner's office are investigating the latest death.