ST. ALBANS — The death of an inmate at the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans is under investigation by the Vermont State Police. The inmate has been identified as Shawn Gardner, 37, of Newport.
Preliminary investigation and scene examination by VSP revealed that Gardner was in possession of an unknown substance before becoming unresponsive.
Toxicology tests will be performed as part of the autopsy at the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington. The results of these tests, which could take several weeks to several months, are expected to shed more light on the incident.
Gardner was a federal inmate who was housed in a segregated unit within the St. Albans prison. He was initially detained on Tuesday, July 25, at the Northern State Correctional Facility in Newport and was subsequently transferred to St. Albans ahead of a federal court hearing on Wednesday, July 26.
Shortly after returning to the correctional facility from the hearing, Gardner collapsed in the shower area and was later pronounced dead.
No further information is available at this time. The VSP has stated they will provide updates as the investigation progresses.
