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An inmate at the Fulton County Jail has been charged with multiple felonies in connection with an incident that left a 20-year-old inmate on life support at Grady Memorial Hospital.
FOX 5 News has learned that Shania White, 27, has been charged after her cellmate, Tyriana Ledbetter, was found unresponsive inside their shared cell at the Rice Street facility.
Ledbetter’s mother told FOX 5 her daughter is in the intensive care unit at Grady on life support.
“We are praying for a miracle,” she said, while calling for answers about what happened to her daughter.
According to an arrest warrant obtained by FOX 5, on Tuesday, Sept. 23 at 5:21 p.m., an officer attempted to place a new inmate into White and Ledbetter’s cell when she discovered Ledbetter on the floor, unresponsive and bleeding.
Medical staff reported Ledbetter had a hematoma on her forehead and left eye, as well as ligature marks and skin redness around her neck. Staff also observed that her lower extremities were cold and pulseless.
The warrant states that a lieutenant later went to Grady Memorial Hospital to check on Ledbetter and was told she had suffered brain damage due to lack of oxygen and showed no neurological responses.
Investigators noted that White and Ledbetter had only shared the cell for about 24 hours. Surveillance video reportedly shows White near Ledbetter as she lay under the only bed in the cell. The warrant also accuses White of communicating frequently with jail staff during that period but never alerting them to Ledbetter’s condition.
White is now facing felony charges of aggravated assault, aggravated battery, and tampering with evidence.
The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation is ongoing.
