Inmate Dies After Shoveling Snow, Officials Say. Family Asks Why He Was Working in ‘Below Zero’ Conditions in Early Morning By David Chiu 40

Authorities said an inmate is dead after shoveling snow at a Kentucky correctional facility earlier this week, and his family is seeking answers about what happened. 

In a news release, the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet reported the death of Marvin Knuckles on Tuesday, Jan. 27, at the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex in West Liberty. 

According to the Department of Corrections, a work crew of inmates was removing snow and ice debris on the facility grounds when Knuckles fell and sustained a head injury. 

“Staff immediately transported Knuckles to Appalachian Regional Hospital, West Liberty where he succumbed to his injuries this morning around 7:30 a.m. EST,”  the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet’s news release stated. 

Knuckles’ death was reported to the Kentucky State Police, according to Department of Corrections policy. 

Justice and Public Safety Cabinet Secretary Keith Jackson commented on the incident in a press statement, saying, “This tragic accident is one that we work to avoid each day as we protect those in our custody. We extend our deepest condolences to the family of Mr. Knuckles and to our correctional staff. We will conduct a thorough review of this situation to better prevent this from happening again.”

The Justice and Public Safety Cabinet said that Knuckles was serving a 12-year sentence for drug-related charges —  among them, “trafficking of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and tampering with physical evidence out of Madison County.”

Opened in 1990, the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex is described as a medium security institution with a population of 1,914. 

In an interview with NBC affiliate WLEX, Knuckles’ family asked why their loved one was shoveling snow and ice in the early morning hours after state officials had warned the public to avoid being outside in the extremely cold weather. 

“I want to know why my brother was out at one something in the morning shoveling ice and why with it below zero and why was he around a cliff where he could fall off or any other inmate?” Rita Alexander, Knuckles’ sister, told WLEX. 

Alexander also alleged that the family received no additional details from authorities other than being notified on Tuesday morning that Knuckles had died at the correctional facility. She added most of the information they received came from the coroner’s office. 

“He said my brother was pronounced dead at 7:39,” Alexander told WLEX, “and said my brother only had one injury on him and it was above one eye – he said something that my brother had a steel rod out shoveling snow but I don’t know if other inmates were with him or not.”

“The coroner told me he fell over a 40-foot embankment,” Alexander added. 

In the same interview, she also accused the correctional facility of being negligent. 

“Even if my brother died from shoveling snow – it was neglect of the prison to have him and any other inmates out there shoveling snow at 1 in morning below zero,” Alexander said, “and I said what would they be shoveling it’d be ice – where would they be putting it at and have them around a cliff to fall off with no gear on to catch them – no fence.”

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In a statement to PEOPLE on Thursday, Jan. 29, a spokesperson for the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet said that Knuckles was assigned to the correctional complex’s minimum custody outside detail unit for good behavior.

“Inmates assigned to this unit outside the prison fence are provided opportunities to work several jobs,” the spokesperson said, “Knuckles was assigned to the following: tree farm, road crew and special detail.  When asked who was able to help with the special assignment of ice removal, Knuckles volunteered to assist.”

“The incident resulted in an accidental fall down an embankment at the facility,” their statement continued. “This incident was reported to KSP [Kentucky State Police], as are all inmate deaths, and an autopsy is pending. The Department is also conducting a full review to determine whether all related policies and procedures were followed.”

The Morgan County Coroner and Alexander did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.

Winter Storm Fern hit Kentucky this past weekend, the Lexington Herald Leader reported on Wednesday, Jan. 28, stating that Lexington received 5.5 inches of snow while Louisville and Bowling Green got 5.9 and 3.5 inches, respectively. The newspaper also reported that most of Central and Eastern Kentucky received between 0.20 and 0.80 inches of ice, citing the National Weather Service.

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As of Wednesday evening, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear noted in a social media post that power outages were below 10,000 following the storm. 

The governor said in another post Wednesday that the total number of storm-related fatalities in his state is currently at 11.