UMATILLA, Ore. — An inmate who was convicted of killing his girlfriend’s daughter has been found dead at the Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC).
The deceased has been identified as David Gene Elliott, Jr., according to the DOC. He was serving his sentence at Two Rivers Correctional Institution and passed away while in custody.
Elliott entered the custody of the DOC on October 4, 2016, from Marion County and had no scheduled release date.
He was 36 years old at the time of his death. The next of kin has been informed of the situation.
KATU previously reported on Elliott’s court case, where he was found guilty of murdering his girlfriend’s 3-year-old daughter and causing harm to her 5-year-old child.
According to court records, the young girl was discovered face down in a bathtub. She had been vomiting for three days after Elliott struck her in the abdomen.
The medical examiner determined her death as a homicide, citing “cerebral anoxia due to near drowning after blunt force abdominal trauma.”
The Oregon State Police have been notified, as is standard procedure for all in-custody deaths.
The DOC emphasizes its serious approach to all in-custody deaths. While information about crimes is typically public record, the DOC chooses to disclose it only upon request out of respect for the privacy of the family and victims involved.
