LANSING – A 37-year-old prisoner died suddenly at Michigan's only women's prison on Friday after complaining about a bee sting, officials confirmed Monday.

Lisa Marie Johnston was taken to the hospital on Wednesday after complaining about being stung by a bee and suffering an apparent severe allergic reaction, Corrections Department spokesman Chris Gautz said.

She was discharged from St. Joseph Mercy Health System in Ann Arbor on Friday and had been back at Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility only about two hours when she collapsed and soon died, Gautz said.

Johnston had only recently been sent to the prison near Ypsilanti after she was sentenced in Grand Traverse County on March 15, to serve between 30 months and 20 years for trafficking in methamphetamine, according to prison records.

Gautz said that after returning to the prison from the hospital, Johnston was at the prison health care unit, awaiting a follow-up review, which he said is standard practice when a prisoner returns from the hospital.

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While waiting for her appointment, Johnston got up and left the waiting area to push a friend who was in a wheelchair to that prisoner's line to receive insulin, Gautz said. After that, Johnston decided to push the friend in the wheelchair to the chow hall, without first being seen by prison medical staff, he said.

Johnston complained of dizziness to the prisoner she was pushing in the wheelchair and then collapsed, he said. Prison staff responded immediately and an ambulance was called, he said. Johnston was pronounced dead at 5:47 p.m., after returning to the prison from the hospital at 3:45 p.m., he said.

The prison is investigating and has contacted the hospital because "it's unusual for someone to collapse and die a few hours after returning from the hospital," he said.

Johnston's family has been notified, he said.

An autopsy was performed and results are pending, he said.

The prison has not had a problem with bees or bee stings, Gautz said.

Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @paulegan4. Read more on Michigan politics and sign up for our elections newsletter.