An offender housed at Neuse Correctional Institution who tested positive for COVID-19 has died at the hospital as a result of pre-existing conditions complicated by COVID-19. This is the third coronavirus death of an individual in custody at a North Carolina state prison, and the second offender at the local prison to die due to the virus.
“Any death is a tragedy, and we are working hard to flatten the curve of COVID-19 in Prisons,” said Todd Ishee, Commissioner of Prisons. “The health and safety of the staff and the offenders in our custody is of our top priority.”
The offender tested positive for COVID-19 on April 18, 2020. He was hospitalized on April 23, 2020. His condition worsened, and the offender died at the hospital on April 29, 2020.
The offender was a male in his seventies and had underlying health conditions. Given his family’s right to privacy and the confidentiality of prison offender records, the Department of Public Safety will not further identify the individual.
Prisons leadership has taken a substantial number of actions throughout the North Carolina prison system to try to prevent transmission of the virus. Those actions, along with offender testing information that is updated daily, are found here DPS Action for Prisons.
