Families demand answers after four inmate deaths at Ypsilanti women's prison

YPSILANTI, Mich. (FOX 2) - Several families held an emotional vigil outside a women's prison in Ypsilanti, demanding change after four inmates died in two months. They say dangerous, deadly mold needs to be cleaned up in the facility, something heavily disputed by the Michigan Department of Corrections.

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The families of Khaira Howard, Rebecca Fackler, Ashley Hoath and Delphenia Jones rallied outside the Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility, a building they say is riddled with black mold and where staff neglected the medical needs of inmates, according to attorneys representing some of the families.

But the Michigan Department of Corrections firmly denies those claims, pointing to independent environmental testing that it says confirms the prison "does not have dangerous systemic black or toxic mold conditions."

Furthermore, an autopsy report released days ago says Ashley Hoath died by suicide. Hoath's oldest daughter was one of the speakers at the vigil.

"My mom went to prison, and rightfully so, just like the rest of the women," said Ashley Anala. "But they are all still human, and they all still deserve proper care and proper treatment. They don't deserve to die. They didn't come here to die. They came here to be rehabilitated and to be productive members of society, hopefully."

What's next:

The MDOC tells FOX 2 all incarcerated individuals receive a consistent community standard of care that includes regular health and wellness screenings, access to onsite medical staff, prescription medications and outside emergency services when needed. It also says all available information on the inmate death investigations is published on the MDOC website in the spirit of transparency.

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