Family of Stephen Washington demands accountability from DOC: "His death is still unexplained."
- Rebecca Gilbuena
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
The family of Stephen Washington, 40, is demanding transparency and accountability from the Minnesota Department of Corrections, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Chisago County Sheriff’s Department following his unexplained death at Rush City Prison on October 9.
"Families should not have to fight, beg or wait for answers when someone under the State's supervison dies," said Alissa Washington, Stephen’s cousin and family spokesperson. "Our family deserves the truth. "We trusted the system to keep him safe. We will not rest until we know exactly what happened and until those responsible are held to account."
Stephen’s death is being investigated as a possible homicide. According to the Minnesota Department of Corrections, officers found Stephen unresponsive in his cell with “obvious injuries.”
The department has not released how Stephen died, nor have they released the identity of the cellmate, who hasn't been charged with crime at this point, but is described by the DOC as a "suspect or subject of the investigation in this case." According to a DOC spokesperson, Stephen and the cellmate had just become roommates on the morning of Oct. 9—the same day he died.
"We still don't have clear answers about what happened to him, how he was housed, who his cellmate was, what risk assessments were done and what red flags were missed," Alissa said. "His death is still unexplained and that's completely unacceptable."
Stephen's family has created a GoFundMe to help pay for funeral expenses. The fundraiser shares that Stephen was a driven athlete, entrepreneur, and go-getter who loved his family and community. He was supposed to be released next year.
