32-Year-Old Mother’s Body Found Decomposed In Georgia Prison

The Georgia Department of Corrections has started an investigation after Sheqweetta Vaughan, an inmate serving a two-year sentence at Lee Arrendale State Prison, was found dead in her single-person cell. 

Vaughan was discovered dead and partially decomposed inside a single, hot, poorly ventilated segregation cell on the morning of July 9.

Signs like her body’s decomposition suggest she may have died much earlier, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Health and coroner records indicate Vaughan had given birth six months before her death.

When Habersham County Deputy Coroner Kenneth Franklin arrived, the temperature in her cell was already in the 90s with little airflow. Franklin noted strong odors of decay and observed decomposition. Evidence of decay included “green ‘marbling’ on Vaughan’s arms and skin slipping and blistering across her body. There were no visible signs of physical trauma or contraband.

Georgia’s corrections policy requires officers to check on inmates in segregation at least every 30 minutes. A pathologist speaking with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said the level of decomposition observed is inconsistent with that schedule

“That degree of decomposition doesn’t come within 30 minutes, within an hour, or within two hours,” he said.

In his report, Franklin could not pinpoint the exact time of death due to the harsh conditions of the facility. 

According to prison incident logs, a neighboring prisoner reported hearing Vaughan call for medical help around 6 a.m. on July 8. According to the unidentified prisoner, no response followed her calls for assistance. The cellmate’s account and recorded checks show the body was not reported until 10:45 a.m. the next day.

The coroner’s report stated Vaughan was found at 10:40 a.m., but Franklin was told a welfare check was done by prison employees at 10:08 a.m.

In 2023, the Georgia Department of Corrections proposed closing Lee Arrendale State Prison, one of the oldest facilities within the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC). According to NowHabersham, the plan would cclose the prison’s main units while keeping its 112-bed transitional center operational.

The facility would be renamed the Lee Arrendale Transition Center. Officials said this would reduce the inmate population by roughly 1,000, with only about 200 individuals remaining in transition. The plan also called for retaining infrastructure like food operations, farm work, fire services, and packing stations despite the downsizing. 

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