TOPEKA, Kansas – A Lansing Correctional Facility resident who died Monday, May 4, had tested positive for COVID-19. This is the third death related to COVID-19.
The resident was a male over the age of 50 who tested positive for the virus on May 1. He was transferred to Providence Medical Center on May 1. The official manner of death for all COVID-19 deaths is natural causes.
The individual was serving an 85-month sentence for charges including aggravated indecent liberties with a child, lewd fondling/touching; child less than 14. He had been imprisoned with the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) since July 2018. For the privacy of his family and due to confidentiality laws, the KDOC will not release his name nor his underlying medical conditions. His family has been notified.
The Lansing Correctional Facility, formerly the Kansas State Penitentiary, opened in 1867 during the presidency of Andrew Johnson and is the oldest and largest state correctional facility in Kansas. Serving only males, the facility capacity is 2,432 residents.
For current information on COVID-19 in Kansas, and to sign up for updates, go to the KDHE COVID-19 Resource Center at kdhe.ks.gov/coronavirus. For information on the KDOC’s response to COVID-19, visit https://www.doc.ks.gov/kdoc-coronavirus-updates.