(LEX 18) — Kentucky Department of Corrections Commissioner Cookie Crews visited the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex on Monday, days after LEX 18 Investigates reported she had not visited the prison in a year, despite at least four inmate deaths in five months at the facility.
LEX 18 Investigates
KY corrections chief hasn't visited prison with 4 inmate deaths in the past year
LEX 18 has since learned of a fifth inmate death while in EKCC custody. The Rowan County Coroner says 33-year-old Danny Morgan died January 14 at a hospital emergency room in Morehead after a gastrointestinal bleed. The coroner says the state medical examiner has not yet determined an official cause of death.
Another inmate, who LEX 18 is not identifying, mailed a letter to the station in January, writing that Morgan went to medical several times begging for help.
Public records obtained by LEX 18 show three of the previously reported deaths are currently being investigated as homicides by Kentucky State Police. A fourth inmate died after falling down a 40-foot embankment while clearing snow and ice at the prison, according to the Morgan County Coroner.
LEX 18 learned of Crews' Monday visit through a source with ties to EKCC. It is not known whether the visit was previously scheduled. After asking questions since Monday and emailing the governor's office, LEX 18 received a statement late Tuesday afternoon from the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet confirming the visit.
In the statement, Communications Adviser Price Wilborn said Morgan's death was reported to the county coroner and law enforcement in adherence to state law and corrections policy.
"Daniel Morgan's death was reported to the county coroner and law enforcement in adherence to state law and corrections policy. He was in the custody of the Kentucky Department of Corrections, housed at Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex and was transported to Saint Claire Medical Center, where he died on Jan. 14, 2026," Wilborn said.
The statement also cited Corrections Policy and Procedure CPP 8.7, which outlines the notification process for all critical incidents, and noted that under KRS 72.020 and KRS 72.025, any in-custody death that appears to be other than natural must be immediately reported to the county coroner and a law enforcement agency. The cabinet also noted that HIPAA prohibits the disclosure of specific information related to inmates' medical conditions or death.
Ashley Elgin, whose husband Robert "Tony" Broyles died in August, says the timing of Crews' visit raises questions. According to KSP, Broyles' cellmate strangled him.
Covering Kentucky
Widow demands answers, change after husband is strangled to death in EKCC
"It's telling. It shows that public pressure and media scrutiny moved the needle more than four lost lives did," Elgin said.
Elgin also questioned why the commissioner had not made an in-person visit sooner.
"If the commissioner could find time to visit right now when cameras are on, why couldn't she find the time when they weren't?" Elgin said.
Elgin said she has seen people on social media forums who worked in corrections and under Commissioner Crews speak highly of her career and past work, and that she had heard similar things herself.
"I used to work for corrections and I've heard nothing but good things about her too, but then once you fall into something this tragic and then nothing's done about it, it gives you a bigger picture on who someone is or how someone works," Elgin said.
Elgin says she hopes Crews' visit is the first of many to come, as she and other families continue to push for accountability, oversight and answers.
