WAFB Channel 9, Baton Rouge, LA |Autopsy Shows Hunt Correctional Inmate Died of Starvation; Investigation Underway

Autopsy Shows Hunt Correctional Inmate Died of Starvation; Investigation Underway

The death of a Hunt Correctional inmate has launched an internal investigation from the state Department of Corrections. The way the inmate died has caused some serious concerns at the Department of Corrections. WAFB's Jim Shannon has the latest.

The deceased inmate's name is Orlando Tate. He was a 34-year-old man from Tallulah who was serving a sentence following an aggravated second-degree battery conviction.

He died August 15th while in the mental ward of Hunt Correctional Institution. According to an autopsy report released by the Department of Corrections, Tate died of starvation. The circumstances have prompted the acting head of the Department of Corrections to launch his own investigation into how Tate died of malnutrition.

Jim LeBlanc says, "In my 34 years with a death like this, if it ends up being on the low road, then we're gonna take whatever steps we need to take to make sure it doesn't happen again."

One Hunt employee was fired after the incident and three others are on administrative leave. Leblanc says he will refer the findings of the department's investigation over to state and federal authorities. Tate was convicted of stabbing his own father eight times.