MDOC inmate found dead in cell

The Mississippi Department of Corrections is investigating the death of an inmate at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Rankin County.

Deonte Bennett, 27, was found unresponsive in his cell Tuesday at 3:50 a.m. He was pronounced dead at 4:45 a.m. after emergency personnel tried to revive him.

Bennett was serving a 3-year sentence for a Hinds County marijuana possession conviction in 2014. He was returned to prison last November for a parole violation.

MDOC spokesperson Grace Simmons-Fisher said an autopsy is scheduled.