A woman being held at the Columbia County Detention Center died Sunday after she was found unresponsive in her cell, according to authorities.
Maj. Steve Morris with the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office said inmate Caroline Smith, 48, was discovered by two of her bunkmates around 1 p.m. when they returned from a break. The inmates alerted jail staff, who immediately contacted medical personnel and began CPR.
“There were no signs of trauma,” Morris said. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death.
Smith had been taken into custody the previous day for a probation violation. She had multiple prior arrests in Columbia County on charges including shoplifting, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, driving while unlicensed, and failure to appear.
The sheriff’s office has not released further details pending the results of the autopsy.
