Michael Hernandez
Michael Hernandez, 31, died on April 29, 2021, while held at Columbia Correctional Institution, a Florida state prison, according to Florida Department of Corrections records. The Florida Department of Corrections recorded the manner of death as natural, but the Florida Department of Law Enforcement was reported to be investigating, and a source cited by WFOR-TV said he collapsed on video and that a possible drug overdose was involved. The District IV Medical Examiner's Office was reported to have attributed his death to cardiac dysrhythmia linked to morbid obesity. Officials had not released a full account of how he died, and the causes given by different sources remain in conflict.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed). The District IV Medical Examiner's Office attributed his death to cardiac dysrhythmia linked to morbid obesity, while sources cited by WFOR-TV said he may have died of a drug overdose, which the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating.
Reported by: District IV Medical Examiner's Office (medical examiner or coroner); Florida Department of Corrections (the agency that held him); WFOR-TV, citing unnamed sources (reporters).
News reports (6)
- Inmate Mortality, fiscal year 2020-2021, archived
- Florida middle school killer dies in prison at 31
- Florida man convicted of killing friend in middle school bathroom as teenager dies in prison at 31
- Wannabe serial killer who killed classmate dies in Florida prison
- Michael Hernandez, Who Murdered Classmate Jaime Gough, Dies In Prison
- What Killed Michael Hernandez? Autopsy Out for Man Who Killed Classmate