Inmate dies after she was found unresponsive in cell at SC prison, officials say

An inmate at a women’s prison in Columbia recently died, according to the South Carolina Department of Corrections.

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On Sept. 28, Shamika Danielle Cunningham died at a local hospital, S.C. Department of Corrections officials said Friday in a news release.

The death of the 41-year-old prisoner who was being held at Camille Graham Correctional Institution is being investigated as a suspected suicide, according to the release.

On Sept. 26, Cunningham was found unresponsive in her cell and later died at the hospital, the S.C. Department of Corrections said.

No cause of death has been announced, but officials said that an autopsy was scheduled.

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There was no word if Cunningham had a cellmate, or how she was discovered.

Cunningham’s death is being investigated by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the Richland County Coroner’s Office and the S.C. Department of Corrections Inspector General’s office.

In 2018, Cunningham pleaded guilty to a manslaughter charge and was sentenced to 22 years incarceration, Laurens County court records show. Cunningham was originally charged with murder in 2016 after 64-year-old Arthur Lee Turner died of blunt force trauma to the head, WSPA reported.

Camille Graham is a women’s-only prison on Broad River Road, and it’s a medium-security institution, according to the S.C. Department of Corrections.