Kitty Douglas
Kitty Douglas was 20 years old and came from White Mountain, Alaska, where her mother, Nora Brown, said she loved climbing trees, picking berries and hunting. She died in 2022 while held at Hiland Mountain Correctional Center, in the acute mental health unit, and Alaska State Troopers reported that she died by suicide. Troopers said corrections officers conducted seven wellness checks on her cell over several hours but did not discover her death for about three hours, and that the checks missed it because officers believed she was sleeping under sheets. Brown said her daughter had known mental health issues and should have been watched more closely, and she has said she wants to file a wrongful death case.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (disputed; neglect alleged). The State Medical Examiner ruled it a suicide, but her mother Nora Brown says staff should have watched her more closely given her known mental health issues and plans a wrongful death case, and the Alaska State Troopers report says officers missed the suicide during seven wellness checks that found her under sheets.
Reported by: State Medical Examiner (medical examiner or coroner); Nora Brown, her mother (family or their lawyers); Alaska State Troopers (outside investigators); Alaska Department of Corrections (the agency that held her); Alaska Public Media (reporters).
Lawsuit: Her mother, Nora Brown, said she planned to file a wrongful death case over Kitty Douglas's death at Hiland Mountain Correctional Center, and no settlement or award amount is reported.