The family of Sheqweetta Vaughan, a 32-year-old inmate at Lee Arrendale State Prison, is demanding accountability after her decomposing body was discovered in her cell earlier this summer.
Vaughan, who gave birth to a baby boy in January, was pronounced dead on July 9 inside the women’s facility located about 70 miles northeast of Atlanta.
According to a report from Habersham County Deputy Coroner Dr. Kenneth Franklin, officials called him to the prison at 11:08 a.m. that day. He later noted a “strong odor of decay” coming from Vaughan’s body and estimated she may have been dead for two to four hours before his arrival — though her family believes she had been unattended for much longer.
“The only reason why they looked in on her is because she was smelling,” said her aunt, Rita Thomas, a registered nurse. “If she didn’t start smelling, she still would have been in there rotting.”
The report noted that the cellblock temperature exceeded 90 degrees and ventilation was poor, factors that accelerated decomposition and complicated the determination of time of death.
Mental Health Concerns Raised
Vaughan was being treated with buspirone for anxiety and Haloperidol for a psychotic disorder, Franklin reported. Family members say she also suffered from postpartum depression, which should have warranted closer monitoring.
“She was taking medicine for postpartum depression, and she just had a baby,” said her sister, Tamecka Vaughan. “They should have been watching her regardless.”
Prison Conditions Under Scrutiny
Opened in 1951, Lee Arrendale State Prison houses up to 1,476 inmates. Vaughan was serving time for vehicular manslaughter in connection with the death of her 3-year-old son, according to her family. She was pregnant when she entered prison in May, though relatives say they do not know the identity of the father.
The Georgia Department of Corrections has not publicly addressed whether officers conducted proper checks on Vaughan before her death. A spokesperson, Joan Heath, said the case remains under investigation as “undetermined and believed to be natural” pending autopsy and toxicology results.
Advocacy groups argue otherwise. Motherhood Beyond Bars, a nonprofit that met Vaughan through its childbirth education program, called the incident “preventable.”
“We are heartbroken that Sheqweetta won’t get the opportunity to create the life she was hoping for,” the group said in a statement. “Her death was preventable. We will continue to carry her message to other women — better days are ahead, and you won’t have to do it alone.”
For Vaughan’s family, grief has turned into a push for justice.
“We’re trying to cope with the situation and hoping they shut this place down because of what happened,” her sister said. “It’s not right.”
