El Dorado Correctional facility inmate death

TOPEKA – El Dorado Correctional Facility (EDCF) inmate Christopher J. Walton died Monday, May 17 at the facility. The cause of death is pending the results of an autopsy.

Preliminary assessment indicates the death was not related to COVID-19.

Per protocol, when a resident dies in the custody of the KDOC, the death is under investigation by the KDOC and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

Walton was serving a sentence for possession of opiates, burglary, criminal damage to property and battery. He had been imprisoned with KDOC since November 2020.

The 1,955 bed El Dorado Correctional Facility opened in 1991 and was expanded in 1995 and 2001. The facility is designed for maximum- and medium-custody residents and to serve as the Reception and Diagnostic Unit (RDU) for all adult males sentenced to KDOC.

In RDU, residents receive orientation and are assigned to a custody classification, appropriate programs and a permanent housing assignment.