By Brittany Hailer
Damon Leroy Kayes, 54, died Monday at Renewal Inc., a detention center in downtown Pittsburgh that houses federal, state and local incarcerated persons. He was pronounced dead at 1:21 a.m., according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner.
Linda Hoover, vice president of communications at Renewal, Inc., confirmed that Murphy died at the facility and all other media questions must be directed to the BOP.
Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesperson Donald Murphy confirmed that Kayes was in federal custody and housed that Renewal, Inc.
“For privacy, safety, and security reasons, our office does not share specific information regarding the cause of death for any inmate, nor do we discuss information on any specific inmate or groups of inmate conditions of confinement to include medical information,” Murphy wrote in an email.
Two other incarcerated men have died in Pittsburgh in three weeks.
On April 17, William Spencer, 24, jumped to his death from Renewal, Inc. He was also in federal custody when he died.
The same day of Kayes’ death, James Washington, 42, was released from jail custody and died at UPMC Mercy Hospital. He was found unresponsive in the jail’s intake unit May 7.
This story will be updated with comment from Renewal, Inc. upon receipt.
If you have any information about the death of William Spencer, Damon Kayes or James Washington, please contact Brittany Hailer at brittany@pinjnews.org or via Twitter @BrittanyHailer.
Photo by Jody DiPerna
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