Horry inmate dies after found unresponsive in cell. It’s the 3rd inmate to die since November

JASON LEE/jlee@thesunnews.com

A Myrtle Beach inmate at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center has died after being found unresponsive in her cell Sept. 16, according to the Horry County Sheriff’s Office.

The Horry County Coroner’s Office identified the inmate as Leonora Russo, 61, of Myrtle Beach. Russo died after experiencing a medical emergency at the detention center, the coroner’s office said.

An officer at the detention center observed the inmate unresponsive at 7 p.m. Sept. 16, according to spokesperson Brennan Cavanagh in a press release.

The officer alerted staff medical personnel and life-saving measures were initiated. EMS arrived and transported the patient to Conway Medical Center, the release said.

The patient was pronounced dead at the hospital. No foul play is suspected, the release said.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is conducting an inquiry into the incident, which is protocol.

Russo had been arrested Sept. 14 on charges of public disorderly/public intoxication and prohibited acts in parks and other public facilities, according to online booking records.

This is the third inmate, based on sheriff’s department reports, that has died at the detention center since November. The most recent happened in June, when an inmate died at the jail, hours after she had been booked into the detention center.

Crystal Dawn Page, 41, was booked into the detention center at 11:17 p.m. June 4 after being arrested by Myrtle Beach Police, according to online booking records.

Page was found unresponsive in her cell and was transported to Conway Medical Center where she died at 3:24 p.m., the Horry County Coroner’s Office said.

An inmate died in December after being found unresponsive in their cell.

In early November, a woman died at Conway Medical Center after an officer found her unconscious in her cell. She was booked at the detention center the previous morning.