Darlene Benson-Seay
Darlene Benson-Seay, 61, bonded with fellow incarcerated women at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility over card games and cooking, and shared Thanksgiving meals with them, according to her friend Vanessa Santiago, who said Benson-Seay's biggest fear was to die in prison. Benson-Seay had a bad hip, one lung and a weak heart. She died there on April 28, 2020, of COVID-19, after the virus reached the New York prison, the state's only maximum security prison for women. Advocates said she should have been released before the virus spread through the facility.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness. Her death is attributed to COVID-19, which reached Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, and advocates said she should have been released before the virus spread.
Reported by: advocates.