LEAKESVILLE, Miss. (WKRG) – An inmate was found dead Monday, December 26 in the South Mississippi Correctional Institution.

A Miss. Department of Corrections spokesperson says 46-year-old Gary Easterling was found unresponsive in his bunk with no signs of foul play. An autopsy will determine his cause of death.

Easterling was serving a 10 year sentence for a charge in Harrison County of unlawful touching of a child.

He was due to be released in January 2026.