More than 80 inmates have died in Mississippi's prison system since late December. Officials are presently investigating the events leading to Bobby Deangelo Hawthorne's death.

An inmate has been found dead with stab wounds at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman, officials said.

The Mississippi Department of Corrections is investigating the apparent killing of Bobby Deangelo Hawthorne, 34, who was found in Unit 30 on Sunday afternoon, officials said in a news release.

Hawthorne was serving an 18-year sentence for four convictions for drug trafficking and armed robbery in Harrison County. Sunflower County Coroner Heather Burton ruled Hawthorne’s death a homicide shortly after he was pronounced dead at the prison.

Hawthorne is one of more than 80 inmates to die in Mississippi's prison system since late December.

Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Burl Cain said staff is making “every effort to reduce violence in (Mississippi's) prisons.” Officials are installing new video surveillance systems inside the units to monitor inmates, he said.

The Sunflower County Sheriff’s Office, Corrections Investigative Division, Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and County Coroner are investigating the events that lead to Hawthorne's death.