Waterbury, VT – The morning of January 1, 2022, Michael Cornell, 34, of Newport, was found in his cell by medical staff at Northern State Correctional Facility (NSCF) in Newport. Staff responded to the scene, began life-saving efforts, and called for outside medical assistance. Emergency medical services arrived, continued CPR, and transported Mr. Cornell to North Country Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. The official cause of death will be determined by the Vermont State Medical Examiner, but at this time it is not considered suspicious.
The Vermont Department of Corrections (DOC) will conduct an internal review, to include an administrative and medical review, of Mr. Cornell’s death. The Vermont State Police and the Prisoners’ Rights Office were notified per state law and protocol. Both entities will conduct separate investigations into the death, in conjunction with the Vermont DOC administrative and medical reviews.
Mr. Cornell was lodged at NSCF on February 4, 2021. On Saturday he was residing in the quarantine unit after returning from an outside medical appointment in accordance with Vermont DOC COVID-19 mitigation protocol.
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