‘She’d have your back no matter what’: Woman who died at Horry detention center identified

A woman being held at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center died over the weekend, according to Horry County’s Coroner’s Office.

Samantha Benson, 32, was pronounced dead at a local hospital, according to Chief Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard.

“There will never be another soul like Samantha’s,” her family wrote in her online obituary.

They described Benson as “a shoulder to cry on, class clown and the life of the party,” who would “have your back no matter what” and “always fought for what she believed in.”

The oldest of four siblings, Benson “always lit up every room she walked in with the loudest hello, and always left a room laughing with the loudest goodbye,” her family wrote.

An officer found her unconscious in a booking cell Saturday about 11 p.m., a release from the detention center states.

Benson, of Conway, had been booked Friday morning.

She died at Conway Medical Center after emergency medical services tried to resuscitate her when they didn’t find a pulse, according to the news release.

Medical staff initially attempted cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the inmate before EMS arrived.

There was no foul play in Benson’s death, according to a preliminary internal investigation, but the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is conducting its own investigation, as is protocol when someone dies in law enforcement custody.

This story was originally published November 7, 2022 at 11:48 AM.