Thomas Tinghino
Simon Henrickson and Thomas Tinghino were both held at Columbia Correctional Institution in Lake City, Florida, and died in September 2019, with state records giving the date as September 14. The Florida Department of Corrections said the deaths were from a suspected drug overdose, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating. Autopsy reports obtained by News4Jax found a lethal level of fentanyl in each man's body. It remains unclear how the drugs reached the facility, or whether the men were trying to get high or were accidentally exposed. The state recorded the manner of death for both men as an accident, which differs from the overdose described in news reports.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of an overdose (disputed). The Florida Department of Corrections and autopsy reports point to a suspected drug overdose, with autopsies finding a lethal level of fentanyl, while the Department of Corrections also recorded the manner of death as accident in a later record.
Reported by: Florida Department of Corrections (the agency that held him); autopsy reports obtained by News4Jax (medical examiner or coroner); Florida Department of Law Enforcement (outside investigators); News4Jax (reporters).
News reports (7)
- News report
- Inmate Mortality, fiscal year 2019-2020, archived
- Prison inmates dead after incident at Columbia Correctional Institution
- 19 prison staffers treated for potential drug exposure after deaths of inmates
- 2 inmates die of suspected overdose at Florida prison
- Two suspected drug smugglers charged with murder after inmates die at Columbia Correctional Institute