Brandon Church
Brandon Church, 34, died on January 21, 2025, at Capital Region Medical Center in Jefferson City, where he had been taken from the Jefferson City Correctional Center, a state prison. The Missouri Department of Corrections said an autopsy would be performed, and no cause of death has been given. His sister, Amanda Harris, said she was not told where he was for a time and that she and her father were not allowed to be with him when he died, and she and her father drove about 10 hours from Mississippi to see him in the hospital. Harris's attorney, Lynn Ellenberger, says the Department of Corrections failed in its duty to protect him, and the family is investigating independently and has not filed a lawsuit.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined (disputed; neglect alleged). The Missouri Department of Corrections has not given a cause of death and says an autopsy will be performed, while his sister Amanda Harris and her attorney Lynn Ellenberger say the department failed in its duty to protect him while he was on suicide watch and that they were not told where he was for a time.
Reported by: Missouri Department of Corrections (the agency that held him); his sister Amanda Harris and her attorney Lynn Ellenberger (family or their lawyers).