Clifford Farrar
Clifford Farrar, 51, had type 1 diabetes and had been insulin-dependent since he was 15. He was held at the Stafford Creek corrections center in Aberdeen, Washington, where he collapsed with dangerously low blood sugar in late December 2021 and died; he is survived by his wife and nine children. His family says he repeatedly asked prison staff for an insulin pump and supplies, and that emergency responders arrived about 35 minutes after the alarm was raised. The King County coroner recorded the death as natural, citing heart disease and diabetes, while the family says the prison neglected his health and caused his death. A state Department of Corrections committee found that the emergency response was inadequate.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The King County coroner ruled the death natural, but his family says prison neglect and a slow emergency response caused it, and a DOC committee found staff training and equipment failures.
Reported by: King County coroner (medical examiner or coroner); Clifford Farrar's family (family or their lawyers); state Department of Corrections committee (outside investigators).