Inmate dies at Hunt Correctional Center, hours after governor announces drug investigation

St. Gabriel – Just hours after Gov. Jeff Landry announced that state police would investigate a drug problem at the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center, an inmate died.

The Iberville Parish Coroner’s Office confirmed that Lanford Paye’s body was picked up around 11 p.m.

The cause of death could not be confirmed, but several sources within the system told us it was an overdose.

Yesterday, the Department of Corrections said there had been two drug-related deaths at the prison this year. However, that number does not include inmates who overdosed and later died in hospitals outside the prison.

On Tuesday morning, the Investigative Unit received a list of names of inmates suspected of having died of overdoses in the past 18 months and is working to confirm all of the names.

State police were in the jail for the second day in a row but remained silent about the investigation.