September 17th 2025.
The Georgia Department of Corrections is currently conducting an investigation into the death of Sheqweetta Vaughan, an inmate who was serving a two-year sentence at Lee Arrendale State Prison. Vaughan was found deceased in her single-person cell, which was poorly ventilated and extremely hot. The discovery was made on the morning of July 9, and it was reported that her body had already begun to decompose.
According to reports from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the state of Vaughan's body suggested that she may have died much earlier than the date of discovery. It was also revealed that she had given birth just six months before her death. When Habersham County Deputy Coroner Kenneth Franklin arrived at the scene, he noted the strong odor of decay and observed signs of decomposition, such as "green 'marbling' on Vaughan's arms and skin slipping and blistering across her body." Despite these disturbing findings, there were no visible signs of physical trauma or contraband.
This is not the first time that a decomposing body has been found in a Georgia prison cell within the past two years. In this particular case, the victim was Sheqweetta Vaughan, a woman who had been serving her sentence in a cell where the temperature was consistently in the 90s. This is an alarming and tragic situation, especially considering that Georgia's corrections policy requires officers to check on inmates in segregation every 30 minutes.
A pathologist who spoke with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution stated that the level of decomposition observed in Vaughan's body was not consistent with the required check schedule. He explained, "That degree of decomposition doesn't come within 30 minutes, within an hour, or within two hours." In his report, Deputy Coroner Franklin was unable to determine the exact time of Vaughan's death due to the harsh conditions of the prison.
According to the prison's incident logs, a fellow inmate reported hearing Vaughan call for medical help at around 6 a.m. on July 8. However, there was no response to her calls, and her body was not discovered until 10:45 a.m. the following day. This raises concerns about the response time and the effectiveness of the checks being conducted by prison employees. The coroner's report stated that Vaughan was found at 10:40 a.m., but Franklin was informed that a welfare check had been done by prison employees at 10:08 a.m.
In 2023, the Georgia Department of Corrections proposed the closure of Lee Arrendale State Prison, one of the oldest facilities within their system. The plan involved shutting down the main units of the prison and keeping only the 112-bed transitional center operational. The facility was to be renamed the Lee Arrendale Transition Center, and it was estimated that this would reduce the inmate population by approximately 1,000. However, the plan also included retaining certain infrastructure and services, such as food operations, farm work, fire services, and packing stations, despite the downsizing.
This tragic incident has brought attention to the conditions and policies within Georgia's prison system. It is a heartbreaking reminder of the need for proper care and attention for all inmates, regardless of their circumstances. The investigation into Vaughan's death is ongoing, and we can only hope that it leads to necessary changes and improvements within the system.
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