A woman died while being processed in the DeSoto County Adult Detention Center in Hernando, Mississippi, following a traffic stop that resulted in drug charges, authorities said.
The deceased, identified as Tiffany Allen, 42, was found unresponsive in a holding cell after DeSoto County deputies pulled her over for a routine traffic stop and discovered drug paraphernalia in her vehicle, as per DeSoto County News. Concealed contraband was also found upon her arrival at the detention center, officials stated.
Officials did not initially provide additional details about the incident, but the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation has since taken charge of the inquiry into Allen's death. The DeSoto County Sheriff's Office indicated that she was discovered incapacitated and that CPR efforts were unsuccessful in reviving her, according to a report by FOX13 Memphis.
Allen's family, in immense grief, is demanding answers. "I don’t care about that," said Cathy Bowdre, Allen's cousin, questioning the official reason for the traffic stop as recorded in the citation for "no proof of liability insurance." Allen's mother, Linda Bowdre-Jackson, was distraught, "Why would they take her to jail just for insurance?" she lamented through tears in an interview obtained by FOX13.
The DeSoto County Sheriff's Department has yet to comment extensively on the circumstances of Allen's death beyond stating that the investigation is ongoing. In a brief statement to Action News 5, authorities confirmed that Allen was found unresponsive and declared dead in the facility. Friends and family members remember Allen fondly and are left mourning her sudden and unexplained passing.
