LANSING — An inmate died May 17 at Michigan’s only women’s prison, in the second sudden death at the prison in four days, a spokeswoman confirmed May 18.
Rebecca Fackler, 57, died Sunday at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility near Ypsilanti and her death is under investigation, Michigan Department of Corrections spokeswoman Jenni Riehle said in an email to the Detroit Free Press.
“Life-saving measures were initiated by onsite staff and EMS was called,” Riehle said. “They continued life saving measures upon arrival to the facility, but attempts were unsuccessful,” Riehle said.
Fackler’s death came four days after the death of 28-year-old inmate Khaira Howard, and as the prison is under intense scrutiny over living conditions at the facility, which has a history of overcrowding, illicit drugs, leaking roofs, violence, and complaints about poor ventilation and toxic mold.
Riehle said there were six deaths at Women’s Huron Valley all of last year and that Fackler and Howard are the only two women prisoners to die in 2026. She said reports on social media of a third woman dying over the weekend are inaccurate.
Fackler was from the Tuscola County area, records show. A close relative could not immediately be reached for comment.
Rep. Laurie Pohutsky, D-Livonia, a member of the House Oversight Committee who has been investigating conditions at the women’s prison, said May 18 she spoke to an inmate who told her that Fackler had gone to health care at the prison May 16 because of concerns related to a possible infection after a recent surgery and was turned away without receiving treatment. Pohutsky, who has requested video of Fackler’s recent interaction with prison health care, said she asked MDOC officials about Fackler’s reported May 16 visit to health care on the morning of May 18 and the department had still not responded eight hours later.
“There are now two deaths in the space of a week, and this is just one prison,” Pohutsky said. “It is alarming.”
Howard had complained about having to clean up mold at the prison without proper protective equipment, Pohutskys said, and other inmates say Howard complained about chest pains and other ailments before her death.
Howard’s mother, Shaquillia DeShields of Detroit, told the Free Press in a May 18 phone interview that her daughter was supposed to have been released on parole April 14 but that her release was delayed over allegations that she had hurt another inmate. That incident stemmed from a “psychotic break” that resulted from the MDOC not ensuring that she took her mental health medication, DeShields said.
Khaira Howard, who had seven siblings and no children, was placed on restricted privileges after the alleged assault and had been unable to call home, DeShields said. She thought she was getting a call from her daughter when prison officials called to say her daughter was dead, she said.
“It’s just horrible,” DeShields said. “I’m angry.”
Howard had training in heating, ventilation and air conditioning, as well as massage therapy, her mother said. DeShields, who has retained a lawyer, said she will most remember her caring spirit and beautiful smile and does not believe she received proper medical or mental health treatment in prison.
Pohutsky said more facts are needed about both deaths, but some of what’s alleged fits patterns at the women’s prison of inmates’ medical concerns not being taken seriously, inmates receiving substandard health care, and inmates being taken to hospitals in the community, only to have prison officials not carry out the post-hospital care recommended by doctors who saw the inmates at community hospitals.
Pohutsky said May 14 that it is time for MDOC Director Heidi Washington, who has headed the department since 2015, to go. She also said she’d like to see a broader investigation of conditions at the women’s prison and recent deaths, possibly conducted by the Attorney General’s Office, with “an appropriate level of skepticism” given to MDOC claims that there are no major issues.
“We now have two women who are dead,” Pohutsky said. “I think that it is beyond time to start giving them some credibility and listening when they are trying to notify us of some of these issues.”
Riehle said May 18 the MDOC “takes the safety and security of those under our supervision very seriously and has comprehensive processes and medical protocols for health emergencies.”
Inmates “are provided a consistent community standard of care which includes access to regular medical assessments, outside specialists, and emergency services,” Riehle said. “In partnership with qualified medical professionals, the department helps to manage all health care needs of patients, including those with long-term chronic conditions, some of which are terminal.”
The MDOC recently worked with a third-party contractor to complete “comprehensive environmental testing” at the women’s prison and the findings “were consistent with expected results typically found in large settings where individuals live and work,” Riehle said. “Claims suggesting that the facility has dangerous, systemic, black or toxic mold conditions are inaccurate.”
The Free Press reported in 2019 that the women’s prison had 10 deaths in 2018, which at the time was the highest number of deaths in many years.
Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lawmaker wants answers after second sudden death at women’s prison
Reporting by Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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