Mike Durfee State Prison in Springfield, South Dakota, on July 10, 2024. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)
SPRINGFIELD, S.D. (South Dakota Searchlight) – South Dakota is conducting its seventh investigation into a state prison inmate death since February.
Timothy Tyree, 46, was found unresponsive Monday in his bed at the Mike Durfee State Prison in Springfield, according to the state Department of Corrections. He was transported to a hospital, where he died.
The department said its inspector general and the state Division of Criminal Investigation are investigating.
State Attorney General Marty Jackley, who oversees the DCI, described the death as a suspected drug overdose and said an autopsy has been ordered. Among the seven prison death investigations since February, two cases have so far resulted in criminal charges for people who allegedly supplied drugs. Those cases are scheduled for trial in January.
“These suspected drug overdose deaths are becoming too common within our prison system,” Jackley said in a news release. “The DCI and Department of Corrections Office of the Inspector General will do a thorough investigation of this death. If criminal charges are warranted, we will announce them at the proper time.”
In May, the Department of Corrections said it busted a drug smuggling ring in prison facilities.
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