Sumter inmate found unconscious on Thursday has died

Family member claims man was found with needle in arm, SLED investigating

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A Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center inmate was pronounced dead Saturday morning after he was found unconscious Thursday morning, according to Sumter County Sheriff's Office.

According to an immediate family member, Daniel Browder Jr., 38, was in a coma fighting for his life in the intensive care unit at Palmetto Health Tuomey after he was found “unresponsive with a needle in his arm" at about 3 a.m. Thursday.

She made these statements Friday morning.

She said she was told of Browder’s condition at 6:22 a.m. after he had gone into cardiac arrest three times.

“I should have been notified as soon as he was found unresponsive,” she said.

The family member said before Browder died, he did not have a neurological response because his brain went so long without oxygen.

She said nurses in the emergency room who looked after Browder said Narcan had been administered, but he did not respond to it.

That indicates that it was not opioids nor heroin in his system, she said.

Browder only tested positive for marijuana, she said, and no one has said what was in the syringe.

No one knows how the needle got into the prison, the family member said, nor how Browder got the needle and if he did it to himself or if someone else did it.

The family member said Browder had gastrointestinal bleeding, which could indicate that he ingested, or ate, something harmful, she said.

A second family member said Browder told his father he’d stopped eating cafeteria food at the jail after hearing a rumor that someone planned to poison him.

He only ate food from the vending machine, he said.

Ken Bell, public information officer for the sheriff’s office, said the agency requested that SLED investigate a matter at the detention center but did not comment further because SLED is in charge of the investigation.

Nothing indicates this matter is related to the detention officer who was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of allowing an inmate to keep contraband, he said.

Thom Berry, SLED spokesman, confirmed that SLED was called to investigate a matter at the detention center Thursday morning but could not discuss what the matter is nor who is involved.

That information will be determined during the course of the investigation, he said.

SLED arrived at the jail to investigate at about 5 a.m., the first family member said.

She said she found out SLED is investigating because she spoke with a SLED agent at the hospital.

He provided his contact information and said he would be working with a local solicitor if the investigation warrants court action, she said.

Browder was arrested on Oct. 3 on a bench warrant for missing a court date, she said.

On Friday, she said it was not likely that Browder would make a full recovery.

“I was promised he would be safe,” she said about Browder.

She said Browder told her he wanted to go to rehab a few weeks ago but a local court official advised that he would be safe in jail because he would be away from drugs.

Browder “kept begging” for help to get into rehab, she said.

He said there are more drugs in jail than there are on the streets, she said, and the dealers are still dealing.

“I want to be as transparent as possible,” she said. “I would have bonded him out if I had known it was that dangerous.”

For his October arrest, Browder was facing multiple traffic charges including driving under suspension and failure to stop for a blue light, as well as six contempt of court charges.