Woman who died while visiting incarcerated husband at California prison was strangled, sheriff says
A man incarcerated at the prison used the family visit unit phone to tell officers that his wife had passed out during her visit.
IONE, Calif. -- The 62-year-old woman who died while visiting her husband at California's Mule Creek State Prison in November was strangled, the Amador County Sheriff's Office said.
Stephanie Diane Brinson's manner of death was a homicide, the sheriff confirmed on Monday. Family members tell KCRA 3 she was known as Stephanie Dowells.
According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), on Nov. 13 just after 2 a.m., a man incarcerated at the prison used the family visit unit phone to notify officers that his wife had passed out during her visitation.
Officials said officers immediately began lifesaving measures before paramedics responded and took over.
Dowells was pronounced dead around 2:51 a.m.
"Family visits occur in private, apartment-like facilities on prison grounds and last approximately 30 to 40 hours," according to the CDCR website.
Dowells' family tells KCRA 3 she was visiting her husband, David Brinson, 54. He is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for four counts of murder with enhancements for the use of a firearm.
David Brinson came to the prison from Los Angeles County in February 1994, according to CDCR.
While the Amador County Sheriff's Office ruled Dowell's death a homicide, CDCR said that its investigation is still ongoing.
As a result, the Amador County District Attorney's Office told KCRA 3 that it has not filed charges against anyone as it awaits the completion of that criminal investigation.
