Investigation launched after second inmate death in a month at Mississippi correctional facility

A Mississippi Department of Corrections has died after being found unresponsive at the East Mississippi Correctional Facility located in Meridian, authorities confirmed.

Emily Lawhead, who is the Director of Communications at Management and Training Corporation which manages the Meridian facility, said the company is investigating the death of 39-year-old William Hill, who was found unresponsive in his cell on Saturday.

“Facility medical staff responded immediately, performing chest compressions and administering an automated external defibrillator,” Lawhead said. “Emergency medical services arrived and transported Hill to a local hospital, where he was declared deceased by hospital staff upon his arrival. The cause of Hill’s death is still under investigation pending the outcome of an autopsy.”

Hill was sentenced on Sept. 7, 2016, in Adams County to 10 years for robbery and five years for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. His tentative release would’ve been in 2031, according to MDOC inmate records. Arrest records show Hill was from Fayette.

A second inmate death happened earlier this month at the same facility.

Robert Simmons died on July 8. The cause is still under investigation, pending an autopsy, Lawhead said.