Nine employees at the Greene County Detention Center have been dismissed, and all remaining staff will undergo retraining following the death of an inmate last week, Sheriff Brad Snyder announced.
Atiyanna Willis, 18, experienced a medical emergency at the facility on September 22. Detention staff and on-site medical personnel attempted life-saving measures before local emergency responders transported her to Baptist Memorial Hospital in Paragould, where she was pronounced dead at 12:01 p.m., according to the Greene County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Snyder stated that he immediately called for an independent investigation by the Arkansas State Police (ASP) and is cooperating fully. The investigation, as well as an autopsy to determine Willis’s cause of death, remains ongoing.
Following a preliminary review of jail operations, Sheriff Snyder terminated nine staff members for failing to meet expected performance standards. Simultaneously, he directed a comprehensive retraining initiative for all remaining personnel at the detention center. The retraining began this week, aimed at addressing operational and procedural improvements.
“Our hearts are with Atiyanna Willis’s family,” Snyder said in a video statement posted on the Greene County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page. He added that updates on the investigation will be provided as more information becomes available.
The Arkansas State Police has not released additional details, and media inquiries regarding their investigation have been directed to the agency’s Public Information Office in Little Rock.