Joshua Zimmerman
Joshua Zimmerman, 33, was born and raised in Seward and was the oldest of five siblings. He worked as a commercial fisherman, and his father described him as likable, hardworking and caring about his family, and said he had planned to work with a brother on a salmon seiner and was hopeful about getting sober. He died on January 12, 2024, at the Anchorage Correctional Complex, where he was held. The Department of Corrections said at the time that foul play was not suspected, and an ACLU of Alaska attorney said the family was first told he had died of natural causes or an overdose. His death certificate lists the manner of death as homicide and cites findings suspicious for asphyxia, and the Alaska Bureau of Investigation has opened an investigation that is ongoing. His father filed a wrongful death lawsuit in December 2025 alleging negligence by the department and saying officials have refused to share details of the death.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined (disputed; neglect alleged). The medical examiner's death certificate lists the manner as homicide with findings suspicious for asphyxia, the Department of Corrections says no foul play was involved, and his father's lawsuit alleges negligence while state investigators still treat the death as suspicious.
Reported by: state medical examiner's death certificate (medical examiner or coroner); Alaska Department of Corrections (the agency that held him); Alaska Department of Public Safety and Alaska Bureau of Investigation (outside investigators); his father's wrongful death lawsuit (family or their lawyers); ACLU of Alaska (advocates).
Lawsuit: His father filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Alaska Department of Corrections in December 2025, alleging negligence, and no settlement or award amount has been reported.
News reports (4)
- Man dies at Seward correctional facility after medical emergency, troopers say
- Republican lawmakers abruptly cancel hearing on Alaska prison deaths over legal concerns
- Seward man died by homicide at the Anchorage jail last year, lawsuit says
- Father sues Alaska Department of Corrections for failing to protect his son from homicide