Second COVID-19-Related Prisoner Death Reported at Stafford Creek in Grays Harbor County

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TUMWATER – An individual incarcerated at Stafford Creek Corrections Center in Aberdeen passed away at a community healthcare facility due to COVID-19 on Saturday, Jan. 9. 

The individual has not been named yet by the state Department of Corrections (DOC), though their next of kin or attorney has been provided notification of the individual’s passing.

“The state Department of Corrections offers its condolences to the family and friends of the decedent and remains committed to continue science-based health practices and following the established COVID-19 screening, testing and infection control guidelines as the department works to contain and mitigate any spread of the virus,” the DOC stated in a press release Sunday.

As of Jan. 8, Stafford Creek Corrections Center has had 770 COVID-19 cases in the last 30 days among the incarcerated population. Stafford Creek Corrections Center has a total capacity for 1,942 individuals and a current population of 1,830, as of Nov. 30, 2020.



As a result of the growing number of COVID-19 positive cases and the associated quarantined cases that go with them, the facility initiated restricted movement on Dec. 5, 2020, to limit the potential exposure of COVID-19 to the institution’s incarcerated population.

“The health and safety of staff and those sentenced to the department’s custody remains the Department’s top priority,” the DOC stated. “The department remains committed to mitigating, containing and ceasing any spread of COVID-19.”