Federal inmate in Butner dies after testing positive for COVID-19

An inmate serving time at the Federal Correctional Complex in Butner died in a hospital Thursday after testing positive for COVID-19.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Ricky Lynn Miller, a 62-year-old inmate sentenced in the Northern District of Texas to a 210-month sentence for receipt of a visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, had been in custody at the federal prison in Butner since July 11, 2018.

Miller first tested positive for COVID-19 on June 1. Five days later, he tested negative.

According to officials, Miller was examined by medical staff on Sept. 9 for shortness of breath and leg edema or swelling. He was transferred to a local hospital for treatment and further evaluation.

On Sept. 16, he tested positive for COVID-19 a second time. Miller, who had long-term, pre-existing medical conditions, developed a severe illness and was pronounced dead by hospital staff on Thursday.

FCI Butner currently houses 1,050 male offenders. Multiple prisoners have died there since the pandemic began, one an 85-year-old man and another a 61-year-old man with pre-existing health conditions.

Since the start of the pandemic, 16 inmates have died from the coronavirus at FCI Butner Low. A total of 9 inmates have died at one of FCI Butner's medium-security facilities, according to data from the Federal Bureau of Prisons.