Second death in one week confirmed at Coastal State Prison

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - A second inmate died at Coastal State Prison in the span of one week, WTOC has confirmed.

According to a Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) spokesperson, Malik Ortiz died at the prison on February 12. There were “no reports or signs of an altercation.”

Ortiz was serving fifteen years for a voluntary manslaughter conviction out of Fulton County.

Four days prior to Ortiz’s death, another inmate, DeJarvis Walker, also died. A GDC spokesperson also said there were no reports of an altercation or signs of foul play pertaining to Walker’s death.

Walker was serving a 10 year sentence for criminal attempt out of Fayette County and was scheduled to be released by March of 2029.

According to the spokesperson, both of the men’s autopsies will be performed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The GDC’s office of Professional Standards is investigating both deaths.

Our WTOC Investigates team has been looking into the prison, including reports of inmate-on-inmate violence and staff-on-inmate violence.

READ: Workers and inmates report human rights crisis at Coastal State Prison

A 2024 U.S. Department of Justice investigation found Georgia prisons, including Coastal State, are failing to protect inmates from violence, neglect, and unconstitutional conditions. Two employees and an inmate inside Coastal State told WTOC Investigates those failures are happening in Savannah.