25-Year-Old Morgan Kannaday Dies in Lexington County Jail S.C.
In South Carolina news, 25-year-old Morgan Daniel Kannaday died on July 11, 2025, in the custody of Lexington County Jail after being taken to Lexington Medical Center. Mr. Kannaday was booked into the jail on June 29, 2025, on traffic and drug charges as well as for driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. No other details were provided about the 13 days that Mr. Kannaday spent in the Lexington jail.
Mr. Kannaday’s name was released by Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher, the Lexington sheriff’s department announced in a press release. Results of an autopsy are awaited to determine the possible manner or cause of death.
An investigation into Mr. Kannaday’s death is being conducted by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division at the request of the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.
The address of the Lexington County Jail, also known as the Lexington County Detention Center, is 521 Gibson Rd, Lexington, SC 29072. The jail’s bed capacity is 599.
How Big a Problem is Medical Neglect in U.S. Jails?
When there is a progression in an inmate’s declining health with no response from jail staff, including medical staff, is that a feasible definition of jail medical neglect? It is widely known that jails, on average, do a poor job of providing inmates with necessary medical care. A failure to provide necessary prescription medications—at times, even when the jail staff had the meds on hand—has cost detainees their lives.
An Inmate Dies After Begging for Help for Three Days
Lucas Bellamy, 41, was booked into Hennepin County Jail on July 18, 2022. Just three days later, he died an allegedly preventable death. Mr. Bellamy had informed the jail staff from the beginning that he needed help. Though he continued to plead for help, the jail staff allegedly ignored his requests.
Mr. Bellamy knew he was in trouble because he had swallowed a bag of drugs. As he went through the intake process at the Minneapolis jail, he shared this information with jail staff. Initially, he was taken to an emergency department at a local hospital. There, he was sedated and monitored for a few hours and then returned to the jail. The hospital’s instructions were to return to the ER if Mr. Bellamy suffered any new symptoms.
Over the next few days, new symptoms developed, and it got to the point that Mr. Bellamy could barely stand. Just after midnight on July 20, he became very ill and began vomiting. The jail’s actions, allegedly, were to move him from the general population to a single-occupancy cell. That evening, his symptoms worsened.
When a nurse checked on him because he had been complaining of stomach pain, he had to crawl on the floor to be checked by the nurse. He was instructed to sit at a table, and video evidence shows that he fell face-first on the floor in trying to comply. Neither the nurse nor a member of the jail staff helped Mr. Bellamy off the ground. Soon after, he again asked to see the nurse, and her notes at that time show that she accused Mr. Bellamy of faking the pain.
Mr. Bellamy suffered other alleged indignities that day. At about 12:30 p.m., a jail guard discovered Mr. Bellamy face down in his cell. Lucas Bellamy was pronounced deceased at 1:17 p.m. on July 21, 2022. Court records show that he died from an infection due to a hole in his small intestine. This is a condition that purportedly could have easily been treated if Mr. Bellamy had been provided with proper medical care.
The address of Hennepin County Jail is 401 4th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55415.