MARSHALL, Michigan — A 57-year-old prisoner died unexpectedly in the Lakeland Correctional Facility on Oct. 29, 2023. A day later, it was discovered he died while trying to regurgitate meth-filled balloons.
Marshall troopers from the Michigan State Police were called to the facility the day of his death. It appeared at the time like William Wilson died without any obvious cause.
While the medical examiner was contacted and an autopsy was ordered, Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) officials at the facility began to retrace his movements.
Officials found that two days before his death, Wilson had an in-person visit from a 24-year-old Detroit woman. In security camera footage, Wilson can be seen swallowing something she had smuggled into the prison in her clothes.
On Oct. 30, 2023, the Pathologist at Corewell Health in Grand Rapids performed Wilson's autopsy and found he had broken and unbroken balloons in his body.
Further testing showed the balloons were filled with methamphetamines and Wilson died of an overdose while trying to regurgitate the balloons. The Michigan State Police crime lab in Lansing also confirmed the identification of the methamphetamines.
There's a joint investigation being done by the Michigan State Police and MDOC into the incident.
Officials released this information Wednesday after the 24-year-old woman was found and taken into custody in Detroit. She was served an arrest warrant for multiple felonies, including the delivery of a controlled substance causing death.
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