TOPEKA, Kan. – A Lansing Correctional Facility resident who died Sunday, April 26, had tested positive for COVID-19.
The resident was a male over the age of 50 with underlying medical conditions who tested positive for the virus on April 19. He was transferred to the University of Kansas Medical Center on April 20. The official manner of death for all COVID-19 deaths is natural causes.
The individual was serving 25 years to life in prison for first degree murder and had been imprisoned with the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) since 2009. 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.
