Inmate dies at Lansing Correctional Facility

TOPEKA, Kansas. – Lansing Correctional Facility inmate William Smith died on Friday at the correctional facility.

Smith, 42, was pronounced dead by emergency medical services personnel at approximately 10 p.m. The cause of death is pending an autopsy but is not believed to be COVID-19 related.

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

Smith was serving a 37-month sentence for a 2018 Sedgwick County conviction for Drug Possession and Theft as well as other prior offenses.

The Lansing Correctional Facility, formerly the Kansas State Penitentiary, opened in 1867 during the presidency of Andrew Johnson and is the oldest and largest state correctional facility in Kansas.

Serving only males, the facility capacity is 2,432 residents.