57-year-old prisoner overdoses after woman smuggles in drugs

MARSHALL, Mich. – Michigan State Police were called to Lakeland Correctional Facility on October 29, 2023, for the unexpected death of 57-year-old prisoner, William Wilson.

Officials say there was no obvious cause of death. The medical examiner was contacted, and an autopsy was ordered.

Authorities then began retracing Wilson's movements prior to his death.

It was found that a 24-year-old woman from Detroit had an in person visit with Wilson two days before his death.

Official documents state while examining the security footage of that visit, it was discovered that the woman had smuggled a small object into the prison from inside of her clothing and handed it to Wilson.

Wilson was then seen on video swallowing the object.  

The pathologist at Corewell Health in Grand Rapids, who performed the autopsy, reported that he found broken and unbroken ballons inside of Wilson’s body.

Authorities say further testing determined that balloons contained methamphetamines and Wilson's cause of death was an overdose while trying to regurgitate the balloons.

The Michigan State Police crime lab in Lansing also confirmed the identification of methamphetamines.

An arrest warrant was put out for the 24-year-old woman for multiple felonies including delivery of a controlled substance causing death.

The woman was located and arrested without incident in Detroit on March 4.

She was taken to the Branch County Jail. Her name will be withheld until she is arraigned.

Officials say the investigation has identified additional suspects connected to this plot to smuggle drugs into the prison.

There's an on-going joint investigation between the Michigan State Police and Michigan Department of Corrections into this matter.