Detroit Draper
Detroit Draper, 30, was held at Elayn Hunt Correctional Center in St. Gabriel, Louisiana. His mother said he liked helping other men make their own music and was working toward two college degrees. The Iberville Parish sheriff said Draper and another man fought inside a cell on November 24, 2025, and that Draper collapsed after getting up and died at a hospital. Iberville Parish detectives first investigated the death as a homicide, but a pathologist ruled it a natural death from a seizure linked to epilepsy, and his mother said she never knew him to have epilepsy, disputes that finding, and has not been able to view the footage of his death. State death data lists the manner of death as undetermined, based on the autopsy report.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed). The pathologist ruled the death a natural seizure linked to epilepsy, and his mother disputes that finding, saying she never knew him to have epilepsy.
Reported by: pathologist.
News reports (5)
- Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, deaths in 2025 (data file)
- Inmate dies after altercation at Elayn Hunt Correctional Center
- Inmate dies at hospital after fight inside cell at Elayn Hunt Correctional Center, sheriff says
- Department of Corrections releases information about fourth recent inmate death inside Elayn Hunt
- What happens when a Louisiana inmate dies in custody? Families are asking for more oversight.