PAOLI, Ind. (WDRB) -- About one month after an inmate at the Orange County jail died, officials are planning to add new equipment to try and prevent a tragedy in the future.

Indiana State Police said jail officers found 54-year-old Jeanne Ross, of Mooresville, Indiana, unresponsive in her cell in late December 2023. Officers tried to help Ross until EMS arrived, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

On Tuesday, Jan. 30, Orange County Coroner Benjamin Farris said Ross died from a fentanyl toxicity overdose. He said her manner of death is undetermined.

Last week, police arrested 31-year-old Sarah Shipman, from Bloomington, in connection with the investigation. An arrest warrant was issued Jan. 23, and she turned herself in on Jan. 25, according to police.

Shipman is facing numerous charges including dealing in a controlled substance resulting in death and trafficking with an inmate.  Sheriff Dave Henderson said Shipman was previously in jail in a holding cell with Ross and was out of jail while Ross' death was being investigated. 

"We all take this seriously," ISP Sgt. John Davis said.

Henderson said Shipman's clothes and personal items were searched when she was brought to the jail. He said she was then placed in a holding cell with three other women — including Ross — "which is typical protocol." 

Orange County Sheriff David Henderson

Pictured: in this frame grab taken from video Orange County Sheriff David Henderson talks about the death of an inmate from fentanyl toxicity. (WDRB image)

"It appears whenever Ms. Shipman was arrested, she had some kind of illegal substance in one of her body cavities," Henderson said. "Of course, we don't do cavity searches here. That's unconstitutional, and you'd have to have a court order or meet certain standards to do a cavity search. And we just don't routinely do those. We don't have that much of a problem with people sneaking things in their body cavities and handing them out when they're in the jail." 

According to Henderson, jail staff checked on Ross around 10:30 p.m. the night before she died, and she was still in a holding cell. When they tried to awaken Ross for breakfast around 5 a.m., "she appeared to be in medical trauma and possibly deceased, so we immediately called for emergency personnel to come and check her out, but unfortunately she had already passed."

Henderson said it's rare for an inmate to die in custody at this jail.

"The Orange County Jail hasn't had a death in the last 16 years. We just don't do that here. We take great precautions to make sure these things don't happen. It's a rarity," he said.

Henderson doesn't believe Ross or Shipman knew each other.

"We don't believe they had any connection other than the day they met here in the jail," he said.

Now jail officials are going over standard operating procedures to see what should be adjusted.

"We'll change some of those but the main thing is I went to our county council and our county commissioners, which I work great with, and they've agreed to assist in buying a full body scanner to put here in the jail," Henderson said. "And that is an exceptional tool." 

He said the equipment is expensive, but "it will definitely save lives." 

The nearly $100,000 purchase will be partially funded with tax dollars as well as money from the jail's commissary fund, according to Henderson.

He said the body scanner is a tool the jail needs. It is expected to be at the Orange County Jail on March 13 and be operational "immediately." 

Shipman is being held at the Orange County Jail on a $500,000 cash bond. She's expected back in court in February. Henderson said Shipman is currently in a cell without other people. 

"At this point the Indiana State Police is done with the investigation, so it is up to the prosecutor's office now," said Davis.

The office of one of Shipman's attorneys said it did not have any information to provide.

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