JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The Mississippi Department of Corrections on Thursday released the name of an inmate who died the day before, after notifying his family of his death.
Lee Clemmer Jr., 45, died Wednesday in the hospital at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman, where he was serving eight years for two drug convictions. A coroner said he had been receiving treatment for a terminal condition.
The corrections department said foul play was not suspected in Clemmer’s death, and an autopsy will be done.
Clemmer was twice convicted of selling methamphetamine in Prentiss County, with an enhanced penalty on one count. He received a five-year sentence on Oct. 16, 2018, and a three-year sentence on Jan. 29, 2019.
He was at least the 24th Mississippi inmate to die since late December. The U.S. Justice Department announced in early February that it is investigating the Mississippi prison system. Some of the inmate deaths happened amid outbursts of violence, and health inspections have shown repeated problems with clogged toilets, broken sinks and moldy showers at Parchman.
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