The Maryland Department of Public Safety and Corrections released new details Tuesday into the scalding death of a prisoner who died in February.
Corrections officials said Louis Leysath, 35, died on Feb. 20 after he damaged a heating unit in his cell in the Jessup Correctional Institution "that resulted in the rapid release of steam and, later, hot water." Leysath fell unconscious from the inhalation of steam, corrections investigators said.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled that Leysath died of thermal injuries, corrections officials said.
Leysath, from Southern Maryland, was serving a life sentence for murdering his girlfriend in 2008. He was placed in a "special cell" after exhibiting erratic behavior, prison officials said. He was not on suicide watch.
Prison officials did not elaborate what behaviors he was exhibiting or why he needed to be moved to a special cell. They declined to provide any more details because they said investigators from the state corrections Intelligence and Investigative Division continue to review the circumstances of Leysath's death. Prison officials said an administrative review is also underway to determine if procedures were followed.
Three correctional officers remain on administrative leave with pay pending the completion of the department's investigation, corrections officials said, calling the suspensions, "a routine procedure due to the unusual circumstances surrounding the death."
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