On October 1 at 4 p.m., a corrections officer at the Charles County Detention Center observed a female inmate hanging from a bed sheet – which was affixed to a towel hook – inside her cell.
Upon seeing this, the officer took immediate action by calling for assistance and medical help. The officer then swiftly removed the sheet from the woman’s neck.
Medical personnel – who work inside the detention center – performed CPR, activated an automated electronic defibrillator and were able to bring the woman’s pulse back.
Paramedics arrived and transported the woman to Charles Regional Medical Center where she was admitted in critical condition.
On Oct. 4 at 6:22 p.m., the woman, Cara Rachell Dorwart, 27, of Waldorf died. She was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore where an autopsy will be performed. A preliminary investigation showed Dorwart was arrested on Sept. 29 for failing to appear in court on a theft charge; she was being held on a $5,000 bond. At the time of the incident, she was the sole occupant of her cell. Det. J. Elliott is investigating.