Deaths at Michigan women’s prison spur calls for Whitmer to act,
director to resign
[June 10, 2026]
By JANELLE D. JAMES/Bridge Michigan
Federal and state lawmakers are calling on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to
intervene at Michigan’s only women’s prison after a third inmate in less
than a month died Saturday, intensifying scrutiny over conditions and
medical care at the Huron Valley Correctional Facility.
Ashley Hoath of Hillsdale County was rushed to Trinity Health Ann Arbor
Hospital, about 15 minutes from the prison, where she was pronounced
dead, Jenni Riehle, spokesperson for the Michigan Department of
Corrections, confirmed in an email.
Earlier Saturday, an officer had noticed Hoath wasn’t feeling well and
promptly escorted her to a healthcare unit within the prison, where
medical staff determined she needed to be sent to the hospital,
according to Riehle.
The 36-year-old’s death is the third inmate death since May 13. Khaira
Howard, 28, died on May 13 and Rebecca Fackler, 57, died on May 17.
The deaths have prompted bipartisan calls for Michigan Department of
Corrections Director Heidi Washington to resign.
And now, fellow Democrat and US Rep. Debbie Dingell is urging Whitmer to
“direct every appropriate effort” to address concerns “raised repeatedly
by women in custody, their families, advocates, attorneys, medical
professionals, and the public.”
“Too many continue to report that the underlying problems remain
unsolved,” Dingell wrote in a Monday letter to Whitmer. “It is essential
that you give this issue your immediate attention and take urgent action
to address the serious issues threatening the safety of these women
under MDOC supervision.”
The governor’s office responded by repeating a statement first released
in May, following the deaths of Rebecca Fackler and Khaira Howard:
“The health and safety of those under MDOC’s supervision must always be
their top priority,” said Whitmer spokesperson Bobby Leddy.
“The governor has directed MDOC to conduct a swift, thorough, and
transparent investigation. This process will include a careful
assessment by an independent medical examiner. When this process is
complete, we will release the results of the investigation. Families
deserve to have the answers they need during the grieving process.”
In a separate statement, Washington said MDOC is “working aggressively
to investigate the circumstances that led up to Ms. Hoath being sent to
the hospital.”
“We ask the public, out of respect for the family, to refrain from
speculation without the facts, while investigations are conducted. I can
promise you that the community will have answers to what caused this
death, and the ones that have preceded it.”
Riehle, the MDOC spokesperson, said the department is working to
“expedite the investigations into the recent deaths” at Huron Valley.
“During a briefing held earlier today, legislators and stakeholders were
informed that the department has been in discussions with our legal team
regarding the request to issue the findings of the mold testing that was
conducted at WHV as part of ongoing litigation,” she said in a
statement. “The department has requested a summary of the findings from
the third-party expert who conducted the tests and the department will
release them as soon as they are received.”
Bridge Michigan requested the report from the most recent environmental
testing under the Freedom of Information Act on May 28. The department
denied the request on June 4, saying the records are are exempt from
disclosure due to attorney-client privilege.
Three deaths
The three recent inmate deaths at the women’s prison are an unusually
high number. There were only four prisoner deaths at the facility in all
of 2025 and three in 2024, according to critical incident reports
submitted to the state legislature by the MDOC.
State Rep. Laurie Pohutsky, D-Livonia, who has been leading calls for
action at the prison, said she was at the correctional facility on
Friday evening to visit another inmate and was notified of Hoath’s death
Saturday afternoon.
“The conditions of confinement, inadequate access to medical care, and
reported retaliation against those women brave enough to speak out are
intolerable,” she wrote in a social media post.
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People protest outside of the Women's Huron Valley Correctional
Facility in Washtenaw County, Mich., Wednesday, May 20, 2026,
following the sudden deaths of two inmates within days of each
other. (Janelle D. James/Bridge Michigan via AP)
“The state’s response has been woefully inadequate. Legislative
oversight alone is not enough. Michigan’s correctional facilities
are in a crisis that demands concerted action by the Department and
the attention of our governor.”
In the case of both Fackler and Howard, the department confirmed the
women died after life-saving measures were taken by prison staff as
well as emergency medical technicians who had arrived on the scene.
David Champine, whose firm is representing women in a related
lawsuit, said he received reports that Fackler recently had surgery
and sought medical care but the corrections staff prohibited her
from going to a health care unit.
Prison records indicate Fackler was serving 3 to 20 years for home
invasion in 2000, then charged with four counts of assault at the
prison in 2012.
Howard had been in a medical observation cell. Records indicate she
was sent to prison last year for stealing credit cards from the mail
and other financial crimes
Her attorney said she had been eligible for parole since March 5,
but the department failed to enroll her in the programming required
for release, delaying her parole, which had been rescheduled to the
week of May 25.
Shaquilla DeShields, Howard’s mother, expressed concern that her
daughter was not receiving her schizophrenia medication. During
their last video visit on April 30, DeShields said Howard told her
she was being held in observation and that they wouldn’t let her
out.
Howard “cried out for help” and they ignored her, DeShields recently
told Bridge. “Would they do that if it were their child?”
The state previously said it did not suspect foul play in Howard or
Fackler’s deaths.
Calls for resignation
The Huron Valley Correctional Facility has faced months of scrutiny
over living conditions, including overcrowding, poor ventilation and
allegations of toxic mold.
Even before the third death at the women’s prison this weekend,
state lawmakers were calling for Washington to resign over
conditions at the facility and other issues.
“Significant policy and culture change must occur” within the
department, but it has “become abundantly clear to each of us that
such change cannot and will not occur under your leadership as
director,” Pohutsky wrote in a May 21 letter to Washington that was
signed by more than 30 current and former lawmakers from both major
political parties.
“In the over a decade that you have served as Director of the
Michigan Department of Corrections … inmates have died due to
suicide, preventable health conditions and dehydration,” the letter
continued.
On Saturday evening, Democratic US Senate candidate and former Wayne
County Health Director Abdul El-Sayed called the situation at the
women’s prison a “ public health emergency ” and said he thinks
“Heidi Washington must be held accountable and removed.”
Advocates and lawmakers have urged Gov.Whitmer to grant clemency to
another inmate, Krystal Clark, arguing she is suffering from severe
medical issues tied to mold exposure at the correctional facility.
Clark, who has repeatedly complained about mold since 2016, tested
positive in 2023 for Aspergillus niger — a common black mold — and
other bacteria linked to mold exposure, according to medical records
obtained by Bridge.
The Department of Corrections has disputed claims of dangerous mold
conditions at the prison, saying an independent review found typical
results for a large residential facility, though a recent report
noted ventilation problems and failing air circulators.
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