ST. GABRIEL — Louisiana officials on Monday were naming a new leadership team for the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center at St. Gabriel.

The prison has had a number of deaths recently, several drug-related. 

WBRZ has reported on problems at the facility since August 2024; since September 23, 2025, there have been 17 deaths at Elayn Hunt. Earlier in December 2025, the Department of Corrections said it "acknowledges that the correctional facility has seen an uptick in unexpected deaths over the last several months."

Three people recently died at the facility within the span of a few days, with two people dying on Jan. 25 and another person on Jan. 27. 

WBRZ's Investigative Unit previously reported on multiple deaths at the facility linked to drugs being prepared inside the prison.