GBI investigating Wilkinson County inmate death

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is investigating after an inmate died at Wilkinson County Jail Monday morning.

IRWINTON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is investigating after an inmate died at Wilkinson County Jail Monday morning.

A Wilkinson County Sheriff’s Office news release says 39-year-old Diana Maloney was found unresponsive “behind a bathroom stall” around 4 a.m.

Deputy Coroner Dustin Thomas pronounced her dead about an hour later. Maloney’s death is being investigated by the GBI as a “suicide by asphyxiation,” the release said.

The sheriff’s office says Maloney was arrested and incarcerated at the Wilkinson County Jail on January 30 on charges of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. She was awaiting bond.

Her body is being sent to the GBI Crime Lab for an autopsy.