CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) is investigating an inmate death that occurred Monday morning at the Montgomery County Jail.
According to a statement from MCSO, Tawnya Smith, 31, was booked into the detention center on Monday at 12:15 a.m. on two counts of child abuse and neglect, simple possession, and unlawful drug paraphernalia.
Jail deputies discovered Smith unresponsive in her cell at 11:10 a.m. during routine hourly security checks.
Jail medical staff and Emergency Medical Services performed CPR and applied an AED but were unable to resuscitate Smith.
Public Information Officer Sandra Brandon with MCSO said the preliminary investigation indicates no visible signs of injury or trauma.
An autopsy is pending and the investigation is ongoing.
Next of kin have been notified.
According to arrest warrants, a witness called police Sunday shortly before 7 p.m. after seeing two small children walking alone on Timberline Place.
The witness said the little boy was naked, so she put a diaper on him.
When police arrived, an officer asked the girl where the children lived, and the child said that her “mommy and daddy were sleeping.”
The child led police back to their home on Grassmire Dr., where police found Tawyna Smith and James Lee Smith.
The arrest warrant states that the home was in a state of disarray with drug paraphernalia and hundreds of cigarette butts found throughout the house. Police also discovered marijuana in the home.
Tawyna and James Smith were both arrested and charged with simple possession, child abuse and neglect, and unlawful drug paraphernalia.
Prior to entering the jail, an officer asked Tawnya Smith if she had any contraband on her person. According to her arrest warrant, she stated that she did not.
During the booking process, however, deputies found a glass pipe with a black burned substance that appeared to be marijuana in her shirt. She told the deputy she did not remember having it on her at the time. She received an additional charge of contraband in a penal institution.