11 Prison Staff Placed on Leave, Mid-State Inmate Who Died Identified

The Mid-State Correctional inmate who died over the weekend has now been identified by authorities. Meanwhile, 11 employees at the correctional facility in Marcy have now been placed on leave as the death is investigated by the NYS Attorney General, NY State Police, and the New York State Department of Corrections.

State Police say, 22-year-old Messiah Nantwi, of the Bronx, was transported to Wynn Hospital in Utica on Saturday and was pronounced dead a short time later. Nantwi's death is part of a New York State Police investigation and the case has been referred to the Attorney General's office.

Nantwi had been serving a five year sentence on weapons charges since May 30, 2024, and according to court records, was facing second-degree murder charges in the death of two people in Harlem in 2023.

This news comes at a difficult time for Upstate New York prisons as corrections officers are currently involved in a labor dispute and an unauthorized strike. The strike, called a Wildcat Strike is illegal according to the CO's contract, has been initiated over prison employee claims of poor and unsafe working conditions associated with mandatory overtime and the negative effects the COs say The Halt Act has had on safety in the prison system. Meanwhile, across the highway from Mid-State is the Marcy Correctional Facility where in December of 2024, inmate Robert L. Brooks was beaten to death in the prison's infirmary. Ten employees of the Marcy prison have been indicted on charges related to the case, six of whom have been charged with second-degree murder and more charges pending.

As the investigation is underway, a report in The NY Times reports family members saying Nantwi was "viciously beaten up by corrections officers." The family's claim that corrections officers were involved in Nantwi's death have not been verified by the Department of Corrections, or by New York State Police.

The investigation is ongoing.