TERRE HAUTE, Ind — An inmate who was originally from Arkansas has died following an apparent fight with another inmate at a federal prison in western Indiana, officials said.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons said inmate Mario Waters, 35, of Palestine, Arkansas was found unresponsive at about 12:20 a.m. on January 15 at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute following a “perceived altercation” with another inmate.
Despite life-saving efforts, Waters was later pronounced dead Monday at a Terre Haute hospital.
The FBI has been notified about Waters’ death, the Bureau of Prisons said.
Waters was sentenced in the Eastern District of Arkansas to life for conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor. According to reports, he had previously admitted in court to having sexual contact with a minor and trafficking her along with others.
In February 2018, the six-year-old victim arrived at Arkansas Children’s Hospital due to symptoms that were later determined to be caused by several sexually transmitted diseases.
An FBI forensic interviewer spoke with the child, who revealed that two different men had raped her in a hotel room— Mario Waters and another man.
Officers obtained search warrants for Waters' and the other man's blood and urine, who both tested positive for STDs that the minor had contracted.
Both men were indicted in September 2019 and pleaded guilty in November 2021.
Waters had been incarcerated at the high-security federal prison in Terre Haute since April 21, 2023, the Tribune-Star reported.
Terre Haute is located about 70 miles (113 kilometers) west of Indianapolis.