TOPEKA, Kansas – A Lansing Correctional Facility resident who died Saturday, May 16, had tested positive for COVID-19. This is the fourth resident death related to COVID-19.
The resident was a male over the age of 60 with underlying medical conditions who tested positive for the virus on April 29 and was transferred to the hospital on May 1. The official manner of death for all COVID-19 deaths is natural causes.
The individual was serving a sentence for charges including aggravated robbery and first-degree murder. He had been imprisoned with the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) since December 1989 and his earliest possible release date was set for Oct. 1, 2020. 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.