Chad Isaak
Chad Isaak, 48, died on July 31, 2022, while held at the North Dakota State Penitentiary in Bismarck. He was a chiropractor and Navy veteran, and his attorney said, "My heart goes out to his family. Mother, father, siblings." The State Forensic Medical Examiner's Office confirmed he died by hanging, and officials classified it as a suicide. A Highway Patrol investigation found that a guard, Sgt. Deandre Adams, failed to adequately check on him twice and let cardboard cover his cell window; Adams was fired the following month, and the Highway Patrol and the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation have said they are investigating how it happened, while the prison would not say whether he had been considered a suicide risk.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (neglect alleged). The State Forensic Medical Examiner's Office confirmed he died by hanging, and a North Dakota Highway Patrol investigation found that guard Sgt. Deandre Adams failed to adequately check on him twice and let cardboard cover his cell window, which Warden James Sayler cited when firing Adams.
Reported by: State Forensic Medical Examiner's Office (medical examiner or coroner); North Dakota Highway Patrol (outside investigators); Warden James Sayler, North Dakota State Penitentiary (the agency that held him).
News reports (4)
- UPDATE: North Dakota murderer dies by suicide in prison; many still left with more questions than answers - KFYR-TV
- Officials: North Dakota murderer kills himself in prison
- Report: prison guard ‘did not follow policy and procedures’ at time of Chad Isaak’s death - KFYR-TV
- North Dakota corrections officer fired over murderer’s suicide