{"id":71563,"date":"2026-11-04T06:14:58","date_gmt":"2026-11-04T12:14:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/?p=71563"},"modified":"2026-11-04T06:14:58","modified_gmt":"2026-11-04T12:14:58","slug":"devils-lake-jail-death-bci-investigates-third-inmate-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/devils-lake-jail-death-bci-investigates-third-inmate-death\/","title":{"rendered":"Devils Lake Jail Death: BCI Investigates Third Inmate Death"},"content":{"rendered":"

DEVILS LAKE, NORTH DAKOTA<\/strong> (trfnews.i234.me<\/a>) \u2014 Another inmate connected to the Lake Region Correctional Facility has died following a medical emergency.<\/p>\n

The death marks the third reported inmate fatality involving the Devils Lake facility in 2026.<\/p>\n

The North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) is investigating the incident.<\/p>\n

The latest death comes after two earlier inmate suicides and growing concerns about safety inside the jail.<\/p>\n

Inmate Dies After Medical Emergency<\/h2>\n

According to facility officials, jail staff learned of a medical emergency around 12:48 p.m. Monday, November 2.<\/p>\n

The emergency involved an incarcerated individual housed at the Lake Region Correctional Facility.<\/p>\n

Correctional employees immediately began emergency medical procedures while waiting for ambulance personnel.<\/p>\n

The inmate was transported to Altru Hospital for additional treatment.<\/p>\n

Despite efforts by medical personnel, the individual later died at the hospital.<\/p>\n

Authorities have not publicly identified the deceased inmate.<\/p>\n

Officials also have not disclosed the person’s medical condition or cause of death.<\/p>\n

BCI Investigating Third Inmate Death in 2026<\/h2>\n

North Dakota BCI investigators are examining the circumstances surrounding the medical emergency and subsequent death.<\/p>\n

Officials have not announced whether any criminal activity is suspected.<\/p>\n

The medical examiner’s findings and further investigative details have not been publicly released.<\/p>\n

Facility officials say they are cooperating with investigators.<\/p>\n

The latest incident follows two other inmate deaths reported at the facility earlier this year.<\/p>\n

Two Previous Inmate Deaths Reported This Year<\/h2>\n

On January 27, 2026, a 67-year-old inmate died after an apparent suicide at the facility.<\/p>\n

Another inmate discovered the man unresponsive in a jail shower area.<\/p>\n

Correctional staff attempted lifesaving measures, but the inmate was pronounced dead.<\/p>\n

Family members later identified the man as Brian Sailor.<\/p>\n

On May 6, 2026, a 46-year-old male inmate also died following an apparent suicide attempt.<\/p>\n

Authorities said the man was discovered unresponsive inside the correctional facility.<\/p>\n

Emergency medical efforts were unsuccessful.<\/p>\n

The North Dakota BCI was also involved in investigating those incidents.<\/p>\n

The cause of the November death remains unknown. Authorities have not connected it to suicide.<\/p>\n

Correctional Officer Also Died Earlier This Year<\/h2>\n

The facility also experienced the death of a correctional officer earlier in 2026.<\/p>\n

Justin Smith, 38, died by suicide on January 31 at a local motel.<\/p>\n

Smith had worked at the Lake Region Law Enforcement Center since 2017.<\/p>\n

His death was separate from the deaths involving incarcerated individuals.<\/p>\n

\"Another<\/a>
Another inmate connected to the Lake Region Correctional Facility has died following a medical emergency.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Families Have Raised Concerns About Jail Safety<\/h2>\n

Previous deaths have prompted relatives to demand stronger safety measures at the correctional facility.<\/p>\n

Cassandra McDonald died in November 2023 following a suicide attempt while incarcerated at the jail.<\/p>\n

Her family filed a federal lawsuit in October 2025, alleging failures involving mental health care and inmate supervision.<\/p>\n

Defendants denied wrongdoing in court filings submitted in February 2026.<\/p>\n

Family members have continued raising concerns about inmate welfare and preventing future deaths.<\/p>\n

Investigation Continues<\/h2>\n

Authorities have not announced when additional information about the latest death will become available.<\/p>\n

The medical emergency began at the correctional facility, but the inmate died after being transported to the hospital.<\/p>\n

The circumstances remain under investigation.<\/p>\n

For more information, read the Devils Lake Journal’s report<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Additional information about the investigating agency is available through the North Dakota Attorney General’s Office<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I’m Adrian Cole reporting for TRF News<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A third Lake Region Correctional Facility inmate has died in 2026 after a medical emergency in Devils Lake. North Dakota BCI is investigating the death.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":71686,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_wpscp_schedule_draft_date":"","_wpscp_schedule_republish_date":"","_wpscppro_advance_schedule":false,"_wpscppro_advance_schedule_date":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_bluesky_share_type":"","_mastodon_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"","timeOption":"","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":""},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[12],"tags":[9330,31002,10632],"trf_mt_town":[29481],"trf_mt_county":[29561],"trf_mt_topic":[29493],"trf_mt_series":[],"class_list":["post-71563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime","tag-devils-lake","tag-justin-smith","tag-police-investigation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71563"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71563\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71687,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71563\/revisions\/71687"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71563"},{"taxonomy":"trf_mt_town","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/trf_mt_town?post=71563"},{"taxonomy":"trf_mt_county","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/trf_mt_county?post=71563"},{"taxonomy":"trf_mt_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/trf_mt_topic?post=71563"},{"taxonomy":"trf_mt_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trfnews.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/trf_mt_series?post=71563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}