CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – A 31-year-old woman died Wednesday afternoon after she was found unresponsive in her cell at the Mecklenburg County Detention Center infirmary, according to the sheriff’s office.
Authorities said Francine Laney was in a cell in the detention center’s infirmary when she was found unresponsive around 6:20 p.m. Wednesday.
Medical personnel administered CPR as a nurse called 911.
Officials said firefighters and MEDIC arrived around 6:36 p.m. and continued CPR as they connected an IV to her and administered an automatic external defibrillator.
Laney was pronounced dead around 7:05 p.m.
“Words cannot express the devastation of losing a resident so soon after the shooting involving one of our deputies and now the emotional trauma on staff,” said Sheriff Gary McFadden. “We are deeply saddened to report this death.”
The sheriff’s office said Laney was processed into the detention center on January 30, 2022, and had not made any phone calls or received any legal or professional visits since her arrival.
The reason she was in the infirmary wasn’t disclosed due to HIPPA regulations.
The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office said the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation is investigating her death. The Medical Examiner is working to determine a cause of death.
