An autopsy report about the death of a mentally ill North Carolina inmate who died from dehydration during a prison transfer last spring was released on Thursday, causing several prison employees to lose their jobs, according to The Associated Press.
Michael Anthony Kerr, 53, was found dead in the transport van after about a three-hour drive from a corrections facility in the western part of the state to the Central Prison in Raleigh for medical attention, the AP reported.
The state's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said Kerr suffered from schizoaffective disorder that was not being treated, according to the AP.
Due to the uncertainty about what led to Kerr's dehydration, the medical examiner said the manner of death was best classified as "undetermined," the AP reported.
Kerr was designated a habitual felon and was serving a prison sentence of more than 31 years after being convicted in 2011 of charges that included discharging a firearm into occupied property, according to the AP.
The autopsy does not state whether his mental illness contributed to his dehydration, the AP reported. Prison officials allowed a review of an internal report on Kerr's death but did not permit the medical examiner's office to retain the document and did not provide other investigative reports for review, according to the autopsy findings.
"The nature of his dehydration, whether as a result of fluids being withheld, or the decedent's refusal of fluids, or other possible factors, is unclear," the autopsy report said, according to the AP.
The North Carolina Department of Public Safety is reviewing the autopsy after receiving the findings on Thursday and the department and the State Bureau of Investigation are also conducting ongoing investigations, the AP reported.
Seven prison employees, including nurses and psychological services administrators, were fired after Kerr's death, while another nurse and staff psychologist resigned during the investigation, according to the AP. Approximately 20 other personnel actions were taken but are not public information.
