Elliott Naythan Funkhouser, Sr.
Elliott Naythan Funkhouser, Sr., was held at the George W. Hill Correctional Facility in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, when he died in April 2022. The Delco Times reported that staff found him wrapped in sheets and blankets with a red mark on his neck, and that a post-mortem examination found he was killed by ligature strangulation. A man held in the same cell has been charged with his murder. The estate's attorney, Michael LaRosa, says the cellmate was a known danger and that GEO Group, which ran the jail until the county took over in April 2022, ignored warnings about him. Delaware County and the former healthcare contractor Wellpath have agreed to pay $912,500 combined to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit, pending court approval and without admission of liability, and GEO Group remains the sole defendant.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody (neglect alleged). Michael LaRosa, attorney for the Funkhouser estate, says GEO Group ignored warnings about the cellmate's danger, and a post-mortem examination found ligature strangulation while a cellmate was charged with the killing.
Reported by: Michael LaRosa, attorney for the Funkhouser estate (family or their lawyers); Delaware County detective's affidavit of probable cause (the agency that held him); post-mortem medical examination (medical examiner or coroner); Broad + Liberty (reporters).
Lawsuit: His estate sued GEO Group in a federal civil rights lawsuit, and Delaware County agreed to pay $462,500 and Wellpath $450,000 to settle, pending court approval and without admission of liability.