WASHTENAW COUNTY, Mich. – A third inmate has died in less than a month at the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility, deepening concerns about conditions inside Michigan’s only women’s prison.
Ashley Hoath, 36, died June 6 at Trinity Health Hospital, several hours after being transferred from the Pittsfield Township facility. She is the third woman to die at the prison since May 13.
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The Michigan Department of Corrections says investigations into all three deaths remain ongoing.
What happened to Ashley Hoath
During the early morning hours of June 6, an officer noticed Hoath was feeling unwell and escorted her to the facility’s healthcare area.
Medical staff determined she needed hospital care, and she was transported by ambulance.
MDOC says Hoath was responsive at the time of transfer. Officials were notified of her death several hours later.
A cause of death has not yet been determined.
The full investigation includes a mortality review, an autopsy conducted by an independent medical examiner, and an administrative review of procedural compliance.
The Michigan State Police were also on site, conducting interviews and collecting evidence as part of their ongoing investigation.
Hoath was serving a 25- to 40-year sentence for second-degree murder.
She pleaded guilty in 2017 and was sentenced in January 2018.
She was from Hillsdale County.
Her daughter, Anala, said her mother had no prior medical conditions and that fellow inmates tried to get her help before it was too late.
“Inmates reported that she was asking for aspirin and that she was in the bathroom for most of the day and that they tried asking the guards to get my mom medical attention, and they didn’t get my mom medical attention until she collapsed in that bathroom, and at that point she already went south,” Anala said.
Anala described her mother as someone who had turned her life around.
“She is not the evil person that people paint her to be. Did she do some wrong things? Absolutely. But she was clean and off drugs; she was truly an amazing person. She has a heart of gold, and she was doing really well,” Anala said.
According to the family, Hoath had recently earned a bachelor’s degree from Jackson College and had a minister’s license.
“Inmates are still human, and they still deserve to have basic human rights,” Anala said. “Something needs to be changed within MDOC.”
A pattern of deaths, scrutiny
Hoath’s death follows those of Rebecca Fackler, 57, who died May 17, and Khaira Howard, 28, who died May 13. The two deaths came just days apart.
The prison was already under intense scrutiny before the latest death, facing allegations of toxic mold, leaking roofs, overcrowding, illicit drug use, poor ventilation, violence, and inadequate medical care. Multiple lawsuits and calls for investigations have mounted in recent months.
Trische Duckworth, a local activist with Survivors Speak who protests outside the prison weekly and communicates regularly with women inside, called the latest death preventable.
“This is medical neglect. Repeated medical neglect,” Duckworth said. “How many more women have to die before our woman governor and our women director of the Michigan Department of Corrections will do something? These are our siblings behind these walls, and they are dropping one by one. Somebody has to step in.”
Duckworth added that the recent deaths have left women inside the prison frightened, with many asking: “Am I next?”
--> Leaders are on-site at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility following inmate deaths, MDOC says
Lawmakers demand action
Pressure is growing at both the state and federal levels. U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell sent a letter to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Monday, calling for immediate attention and urgent action to address health and safety concerns at the facility.
It is not the first time Dingell has sounded the alarm; the congresswoman toured the facility in July 2023 and has raised concerns about conditions there for years.
“Concerns have been raised repeatedly by women in custody, their families, advocates, attorneys, medical professionals, and the public. Too many continue to report that the underlying problems remain unsolved. It is essential that you give this issue your immediate attention and take urgent action to address the serious issues threatening the safety of these women under MDOC supervision,” Dingell said.
Dingell is also demanding transparency, urging the state to make public any studies, inspections, environmental assessments, or reports related to toxic mold and other health and safety conditions at the facility.
Dingell’s letter includes a series of questions and requests answers by June 19, 2026.
Thirty state lawmakers from both parties have also signed a letter calling for MDOC Director Heidi Washington to resign, citing what they describe as “a pattern of denial, dishonesty, obfuscation, and obstruction” under her leadership.
State Rep. Laurie Pohutsky (D-Livonia) was among those who signed the letter.
She said the problems at Huron Valley, including overcrowding, a shortage of corrections workers, and a lack of access to healthcare and mental health treatment, have been building for years.
She said removing the director, while necessary, is just the beginning.
“The director not being there is not the only change that’s necessary. I think it’s a good starting point, but there is going to have to be massive improvements to the department overall for these things to stop happening,” Pohutsky said.
Advocates like Duckworth made it clear they want action, not just words.
“I don’t want them to talk about it. I want them to be about it. I want them to do their jobs,” she said.
The governor’s office directed all questions to MDOC.
MDOC response
MDOC Director Heidi Washington addressed the community directly in a statement following Hoath’s death.
“To the loved ones and friends who have to bear this incredibly difficult news, as well as those who are currently residing or have family members housed at WHV, I want you to know that we are working aggressively to investigate the circumstances that led up to Ms. Hoath being sent to the hospital,” Washington said.
“We ask the public, out of respect for the family, to refrain from speculation without the facts, while investigations are conducted. I can promise you that the community will have answers to what caused this death, and the ones that have preceded it,” Washington said.
Washington and healthcare leadership have been regularly on-site at the facility following the recent deaths.
Additional experienced clinical leadership from across the state has also been called to assist, and the department says it is in the process of hiring additional full-time medical staff.
Mental health professionals have also been on-site in the housing unit for women impacted by the loss.
On Monday (June 8), Washington and the department’s medical director met with key stakeholders, members of the legislature, and representatives from the congressional delegation to provide updates, answer questions, and discuss correctional operations and policy.
MDOC says it has held several stakeholder briefings as part of its commitment to transparency and will continue to do so as new developments emerge.