The number of Alaska prison inmate deaths so far this year has surpassed last year’s toll, after the death of an inmate in the Mat-Su Borough over the weekend.
According to an Alaska Department of Corrections statement, 70-year-old Freddie Lee Fox died Sunday evening. Court records show Fox had been held at the Goose Creek Correctional Center since 2020 awaiting trial on arson, assault and murder charges, after he allegedly started a fire in Anchorage that left one person dead.
Department spokeswoman Betsy Holley said Fox’s death had been expected by medical staff. She declined to answer further questions, citing patient confidentiality.
No foul play is suspected, according to the statement, which said the state medical examiner’s office will determine the cause of Fox’s death.
Fox is the eleventh inmate to die in state custody this year, after 10 such deaths last year. The state matched 2023’s inmate deaths as two men died in late June, amid ongoing scrutiny from the American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska.
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Both this year’s toll and last year’s remain below that in 2022, when the state saw 18 inmates die in its custody, the most on record.
Chris Klint is a web producer and breaking news reporter at Alaska Public Media. Reach him at cklint@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Chris here.
