Scottie Edwards
Scottie Edwards, a 73-year-old Black man, was held at Westville Correctional Facility in Indiana. His former attorney, Cynthia Carter, said she considered him a friend, and people held there said he took his medications regularly despite chronic health problems. He died on April 13, 2020, and the Porter County Coroner's Office listed acute respiratory failure as the cause, while the Indiana Department of Correction said he had tested positive for COVID-19. People held at the facility said he had shown COVID-19 symptoms for more than a week, was repeatedly sent back to his quarters by medical staff, and was taken out on oxygen only shortly before he died. The Department of Correction said his symptoms came on suddenly, an account that people held there dispute.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The Porter County Coroner's Office attributes his death to acute respiratory failure from COVID-19, while fellow prisoners say he showed symptoms for over a week and was repeatedly sent back to his quarters by medical staff, and the Indiana Department of Correction says his symptoms came on suddenly.
Reported by: Indiana Department of Correction (the agency that held him); Porter County Coroner's Office (medical examiner or coroner); fellow prisoners at Westville Correctional Facility (witnesses).