A 67-year-old inmate at the Purgatory Correctional Facility in Hurricane died in custody on Monday, but the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said there is “little evidence to support a correlation” between his death and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Russell Dwain McGonigle of St. George, who was jailed on a federal indictment and awaiting trial, was found unconscious and unresponsive by deputies. Medical personnel at the jail were unable to revive him.
According to a news release from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, McGonigle had been receiving medical care for “numerous health conditions,” and his primary care physician was “willing to sign a death certificate” because of those preexisting medical conditions.
However, the sheriff requested that the Washington County Attorney’s Office Critical Incident Task Force investigate the cause of McGonigle’s death. His body has been sent to the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner for an autopsy, which will include a screening for COVID-19.
Because of his preexisting conditions, McGonigle was housed separately from other inmates, limiting his contact with them and with jail staff. According to the sheriff’s office, there are currently no individuals at the jail who have tested positive for COVID-19.
