A death at the state’s only women's prison over the weekend marks the second time someone at that facility has died in a matter of days.
Rebecca Fackler, a 57-year-old, died on Sunday while incarcerated at Huron Valley Women's Correctional Facility, the Michigan Department of Corrections said. The department didn't provide a cause of death, but said that life-saving measures were initiated at the prison by staff and continued by EMS upon their arrival to the facility, but without success.
Fackler’s death follows the death of 28-year-old Khaira Howard on Wednesday, who was just days away from being paroled out of the facility.
State Representative Laurie Pohutsky (D-Livonia) has been in close contact with people incarcerated at Huron Valley and said this second death has caused a lot of fear in the facility.
"This is a very pressing concern that I don't feel like leadership at the department is taking seriously,” Pohutsky said.
The metro-Detroit representative has been leading an effort for more oversight and accountability for the Corrections Department. Pohutsky is a member of the Michigan House Oversight Committee, and she presented findings related to allegations of pervasive mold and poor medical care at the prison to that committee in February — months before the recent deaths.
“We have two deaths of these women in a matter of days,” Pohutsky said. “We don't even know for sure cause of death for the first one before we have a second one.”
Both deaths are currently being investigated, said Jenni Riehle, a spokesperson for the MDOC.
“Thorough investigations are conducted for all unexpected deaths of incarcerated individuals, and all deaths are referred to the medical examiner who will determine whether an autopsy is warranted, if one has not already been requested by the department,” Riehle added.
She said in a statement that no one besides Fackler and Howard have died at Huron Valley women’s prison this year.
The department said it provides access to ongoing and emergency medical care to all incarcerated people and said the Huron Valley facility had recently worked with a third-party contractor for environmental testing which undermined claims of dangerous or toxic mold.
