An inmate who died at the Chillicothe Correctional Center was serving a 10-year sentence following convictions in Howell County for two counts of third-degree assault on a special victim.
Briana L. McClung, 29, was pronounced dead at 12:33 a.m. March 28 at the correctional center, according to the Missouri Department of Corrections (MDOC). She had been serving her sentence since April 14, 2022.
A cause of death has not been released. MDOC Communications Director Karen Pojmann noted that an autopsy will be conducted.
McClung was originally charged in March 2020 with two counts of first-degree property damage, armed criminal action, third-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon. The charges stemmed from an incident in West Plains where McClung assaulted a caregiver by punching her in the face, then vandalized the woman’s car with a screwdriver after the victim fled the vehicle. Two other drivers at the scene reportedly had their vehicles damaged before police took McClung into custody.
Court records show a mental evaluation was ordered for McClung in September 2021, and her case was suspended until January 2022. Records also indicate she became a ward of the state in August 2020 after being found “fully incapacitated and disabled.”
The evaluation showed McClung had autistic disorder, schizoaffective disorder bipolar type and an intellectual disability, which court documents stated was manifested in part by impulsive and sometimes violent behavior.
