Two Women Died Days Apart Inside Michigan Prison

Something feels seriously off here.

Two inmates at Michigan’s only women’s prison, the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Ypsilanti Township, recently died just four days apart, and now a lot of people are demanding answers.

MLive reports that 28-year-old Khaira Howard died on May 13. Then, on May 17, 57-year-old Rebecca “Becky” Fackler also died in prison. The state says emergency medical efforts were made in both situations, but neither woman survived.

Michigan Lawmakers Demand Answers After Two Prison Deaths

Now lawmakers are calling for a deeper investigation into what’s actually happening there.

State Rep. Laurie Pohutsky says the prison has been dealing with ongoing issues involving healthcare, mold concerns, security problems, and even retaliation against inmates and staff who speak up about what’s happening inside. She says enough is enough and wants the state held accountable.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s office says a “swift, thorough, and transparent” investigation is underway, including reviews by medical examiners.

Family Claims Michigan Inmate Was Denied Medication

What’s really getting people fired up, though, are claims made by Howard’s family. They allege she was denied medication for schizophrenia and was left screaming for help before she died.

The Michigan Department of Corrections is pushing back on a lot of the criticism, saying inmates receive proper healthcare and that recent environmental testing did not find dangerous mold conditions inside the prison. Okay…so then what happened?

Stories like this hit even harder around Mid Michigan after two inmates died within about a month of each other earlier this year at the Genesee County Jail.

When two people die inside the same facility within four days, people are going to want to know what’s going on. And honestly, they probably should.