MALONE — Law enforcement officials are investigating after the death of an incarcerated individual at a state prison in Franklin County on Monday.
The state’s Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, state police, and the Franklin County District Attorney’s Office are investigating the death of Michael Campbell, 51, that occurred on Monday, April 6, at Upstate Correctional Facility in Malone, according to a press release issued by DOCCS, to determine if another incarcerated individual at the facility should face criminal charges in connection with the death.
DOCCS Office of Special Investigations and state troopers investigate all deaths that appear to be from other than natural causes or known medical conditions at state prisons, according to the release, and DOCCS also reports these deaths as required to the state Attorney General’s Office and the state’s Commission of Correction.
In August 2025, state police investigated the suspicious death of an incarcerated individual, Antawon R. Johnson, 35, at Upstate Correctional Facility.
Further investigation revealed that Arkies Sommerville, 28, and Johnson were cellmates when a physical altercation took place, according to past press release from Troop B.
An autopsy performed at Glen Falls Hospital by Forensic Pathologist Dr. Michael Sikirica, determined the cause of Johnson’s death was asphyxiation due to strangulation and the manner of death was ruled a homicide, according to the release.
This year, from January through March there have been 677 incarcerated individual assaults on other incarcerated individuals, according to an April 2026 fact sheet from DOCCS.