Unexplained Death At Brooklyn Jail Deemed Suicide: OCME

BROOKLYN, NY — A previously unexplained death inside a Brooklyn federal prison has been deemed a suicide by the city's medical examiner.

The Chief Medical Examiner determined that the cause of death for Kenneth Houck Jr., 45, was hanging and the manner was suicide, the OCME said Tuesday.

Houck died at the Metropolitan Detention Center on May 18.

His death originally made headlines when it was revealed the same week that another inmate, Jamel Floyd, died after being pepper sprayed by guards.

At the time, federal court records simply stated that Houck, a child pornography suspect and MDC inmate, died at NYU Langone Hospital "due to unknown circumstances."

Attorneys called for an investigation into Houck's death, pointing to previous incidents when MDC has dismissed "reports from people in its custody about inmates being sick or dying as exaggerated or false," according to the Daily News.

Conditions at the Sunset Park jail have been investigated multiple times in recent years, including following a supposed power outage in January 2018 that left inmates trapped freezing in their cells and sparked national protests. In another investigation, a judge described the prison's conditions as "third world," without windows, fresh air, sunlight and cramped quarters.

Anyone struggling with mental health can get help by calling National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or visiting this website. New Yorkers can also find resources by calling 1-888-NYC-WELL.