Karmin Elisha Geter
Karmin Elisha Geter was born prematurely in October 2012 in a communal bathroom at Camille Graham Correctional Institution in Columbia, South Carolina, to her mother, Sinetra Johnson, who was housed there. Johnson has spoken publicly about the loss and said it has been hard to live with. According to a lawsuit filed by her mother, guards did not respond to calls for help, and the baby was left in the toilet for about 45 minutes, where she suffocated inside the amniotic sack. An autopsy concluded she could have survived if the sack had been manually ruptured. In 2020 the state and two contracted medical companies agreed to pay more than $1 million to Johnson, and the Department of Corrections did not admit culpability.
Cause of death, as reported: Died from neglect by staff (disputed). Her mother's lawsuit says guards ignored calls for help and left the newborn in a toilet, where she suffocated, while the Department of Corrections denied many of the allegations.
Reported by: her mother's lawsuit (family or their lawyers); the autopsy.
Lawsuit: Her mother sued over the death, and in 2020 the state and two contracted medical companies agreed to pay the mother more than $1 million, with the Department of Corrections not admitting culpability.