Michael McDaniel
Michael McDaniel, 55, died on February 6, 2021, while held at Pickaway Correctional Institution in Pickaway County, Ohio. His sister, Jada McDaniel, said he had served in the Navy, had held jobs, struggled with drug addiction, and did not deserve to be beaten to death by corrections officers. The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction found that officers used excessive force on him, forcing him to the floor and through a snow-covered yard, and that a nurse falsely recorded that he had refused medical treatment. The Franklin County Coroner ruled the death a homicide, citing stress-induced sudden cardiac death with blunt force injuries found at autopsy. Seven staff were fired or resigned, but a county prosecutor declined to bring criminal charges.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff (neglect alleged). The Franklin County coroner ruled the death a homicide, finding sudden cardiac death stress-induced with blunt force injuries after officers shoved and tackled him while handcuffed, and the state's Department of Rehabilitation and Correction found officers used excessive force and a nurse falsely recorded that he refused treatment.
Reported by: Franklin County Coroner (medical examiner or coroner); Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (the agency that held him).