By Hana Muslic
Belleville News-Democrat
CHESTER, Ill. — Three inmates at the Menard Correctional Center in Chester died on three consecutive days this month, a Randolph County Herald Tribune report said.
The Illinois Department of Corrections and the Randolph County Coroner’s office are investigating what caused the deaths of the three men on Sept. 5, 6 and 7, the report said. Carlos J. Barbour, the county coroner, said he does not suspect foul play.
The men were identified on Sept. 13 as Kevin Curtis, 31; Edwin Freeman, 45; and Timothy Murray, 32. According to the report, autopsies have been performed on all three but toxicology results are pending and may take up to eight weeks to become available.
The Illinois Department of Corrections did not say whether there was a possible public health emergency at the prison, the report said.
The report said Curtis was from Waukegan and was serving 20 to 60 years for a stabbing death. The hometowns and backgrounds of Freeman and Murray were not available at the time of the report