Authorities are investigating the death of an inmate at Turbeville Correctional Institution as a suspected homicide, according to the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
Corrections officials said Luis Antonio Maldanado, 46, was found unresponsive in his cell during routine operations early Tuesday morning, Dec. 30. He was pronounced dead at the facility.
Maldanado’s death is being investigated as a suspected homicide. Officials have not released details about the circumstances surrounding his death or indicated how he may have died. An autopsy has been scheduled.
The investigation is being conducted by the South Carolina Department of Corrections Inspector General’s Office, with assistance from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the Clarendon County Coroner’s Office.
Maldanado was from Gaffney and was serving a 15-year sentence on drug possession and distribution charges stemming from cases in Cherokee and Spartanburg counties, according to corrections officials.
Turbeville Correctional Institution is a medium-security men’s prison located just outside the town of Turbeville in Clarendon County. The facility sits near U.S. Highway 378 close to Interstate 95 and houses nearly 1,500 inmates, according to the Department of Corrections. More than 900 of those beds are designated for men ages 17 to 25 sentenced under South Carolina’s Youthful Offender Act.
No arrests or charges have been announced in connection with the investigation, and officials said additional information will be released as it becomes available.
