Three persons familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that an employee at a federal prison in California passed away, and authorities are looking into whether or not he was exposed to fentanyl just before he passed away.
According to the persons, Marc Fischer, a mailroom supervisor at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atwater, California, reported feeling unwell earlier in the day and passed away on Friday. They claimed that after being transported to a nearby hospital, he was declared deceased later that night.
According to the people, investigators are looking into whether he was exposed to something while he was sorting mail at the prison that they think was fentanyl.
It was unclear on Saturday what caused Fischer’s death and whether the possible exposure played a role. Fentanyl cannot be touched for a little period of time without producing an overdose, and accidental exposure carries a minimal risk of deadly overdose.
An employee of the prison “began feeling unwell following an exposure to mail saturated in an unknown substance,” according to a statement from the Bureau of Prisons.
After being taken to the hospital, the employee was pronounced deceased. The agency stated that a second employee who had come into contact with the letter was brought to the hospital for observation and was later released.
“Our hearts are heavy as we extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of our fallen Bureau employee,” according to the statement.
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His passing represents the most recent significant event at the 122 federal prisons run by the Bureau of Prisons, which has seen numerous crises in the past few years, including widespread sexual assault and other criminal misbehavior by staff, chronic understaffing, high-profile deaths, and escapes.
In an effort to stop the smuggling of synthetic drugs, the agency started reproducing letters and other mail for inmates at many federal correctional facilities across the nation in 2019 rather than delivering the original packages.
A bipartisan group of members in Congress submitted legislation in 2023 requiring the director of the Bureau of Prisons to devise a plan to stop the mail-order supply of synthetic pharmaceuticals, including fentanyl, to federal prisons around the country. The House has not moved on the bill.
