Pregnant Woman Dies in Mississippi Jail; Family Suspects Foul Play

The family of a pregnant woman who unexpectedly died in a Mississippi detention center is demanding answers.

Lanekia Michelle Brown, 37, was jailed and awaiting trial on drug trafficking charges. She was sent to the Madison County Detention Center, where she was found dead by a nurse.

“They did CPR on her over and over… still didn’t get no response.… So he just said she was gone,” Brown’s mother, Margaret Johnson, told WJTV. She also revealed that her daughter, who was three weeks pregnant, complained of stomach pain shortly before her death.

Brown’s family learned of her passing two days before Christmas when a Mississippi Highway Patrol officer delivered the news. The trooper told the family that Brown’s body had been found by a nurse but didn’t reveal her actual cause of death. When her mother asked for more information, she was met with the silent treatment, leading her to suspect foul play. The family also hasn’t been allowed to officially identify Brown after more than a week.

“I need to know what happened to her… where she at. They won’t tell me or give me no information. That’s my child,” Johnson said. “I love my child.… I want to know where my child is.”

See the original report below.