The Montana Department of Corrections announced Thursday that an inmate died Tuesday, Dec. 8 due to COVID-19-related illness.
The 71-year-old Montana State Prison (MSP) inmate passed away at Community Medical Center in Missoula.
To protect the privacy of the deceased and his family, and to comply with state and federal law, the DOC will not release additional information.
The death will be reflected on today’s state COVID-19 tracking map and on the DOC’s COVID-19 response web page located here: https://cor.mt.gov/COVID-19.
While the death occurred in Missoula County, it will be attributed to the county in which the inmate resided, Powell County, where MSP is located.
“The Montana Department of Corrections expresses its deepest sympathies to the family and friends of this individual,” DOC Director Reginald D. Michael said.
Virus activity was first identified in MSP in mid-October. As of Dec. 10, a cumulative total of 476 inmates have been infected at the facility. Of those cases, four are active, of which one inmate is hospitalized, and 472 cases are resolved. This week’s death marks the fifth DOC inmate who has succumbed to the virus.
