HUTCHINSON, Kansas – Hutchinson Correctional Facility (HCF) resident Tony Payne, 34, died Thursday, according to a media release from the Kansas Department of Corrections.
He was found unresponsive in his cell Thursday evening. Staff began life-saving measures immediately and continued after emergency medical services arrived. Payne was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased by medical staff. The cause of death is pending the results of an independent autopsy.
Payne was serving a 46-month sentence for a violation of the Kansas Offender Registration Act. He was listed as a registered offender since May of 2018 for convictions in Sedgwick County for aggravated assault; use of a deadly weapon, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections. He had a dozen convictions for violent crimes and drugs.
Per protocol, when a resident dies in the custody of the KDOC, the death is under investigation by the KDOC and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. The investigation is ongoing.