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Pregnant Mother Of Two Dies In Mississippi Police Custody

A Mississippi woman has died in police custody while awaiting trial, and her family wants answers that county officials simply aren’t giving.

According to WJTV, 37-year-old Lanekia Michelle Brown had been in the Madison County Jail since shortly after Thanksgiving. She was being held without bond while awaiting trial for a Trafficking of a Controlled Substance charge after she and a male companion were pulled over for careless driving and found with 103 pounds of marijuana in their car’s trunk.

Lanekia was a mother of two and was reportedly three to four weeks pregnant with her third child. State Troopers told her mother that she complained of stomach pains, so a nurse was sent to check on her. However, by the time the nurse arrived she had already passed away.

The most disturbing part of this story is the fact that Lanekia’s family was not immediately permitted to collect her belongings or identify her body. Brown’s mother and other family members drove over to the Madison County detention facility on Sunday immediately after they were informed of the incident, to do all the aforementioned and get more information about her passing. However, when they arrived they were told to return on Wednesday, Dec. 26th and given no further information on how Lanekia passed.

The family suspects foul play, as they say that if Lanekia had any health concerns, she would have been forthcoming and let them know. They report that she was in fine health prior to being taken into custody and never reported any discomfort or health issues when speaking to them.

The county coroner is set to complete an autopsy and the state bureau of investigations plans to take over the case.

SMH. We’ll follow up with more information as this story develops.

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