Commissioner: Gregory C. Dozier

Director of Public Affairs: Joan Heath

FORSYTH, Ga. – The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) is investigating the death of an inmate at Coastal State Prison in Savannah, Ga., as an apparent suicide.

On August 29 at approximately 5:34 a.m., Correctional Officers found inmate Carl Sanford (GDC #485134) unresponsive in his cell. Medical units and EMS were called. Sanford was pronounced deceased at 6:05 a.m. by Emergency Medical Services. GDC is conducting an investigation into the death, as standard procedure.

Sanford was sentenced to 20 years in Gordon County for burglary, with a maximum release date of 2024.

About the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC)

The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) has one of the largest prison systems in the U.S. and is responsible for supervising nearly 52,000 state prisoners. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with approximately 10,500 employees. For more information on the GDC, call 478-992-5247 or visit https://gdc.georgia.gov.