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 U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06) is seeking immediate attention and action from state leaders in Michigan to address the health and safety concerns at the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Ypsilanti. The congresswoman’s effort follows reports that a third woman died in less than a month at the facility. In a new letter to Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Congresswoman Dingell reiterated her years-long concerns regarding the ongoing reports of toxic mold and other serious health, safety, medical, and living condition issues at Huron Valley. 

“This facility is the only correctional facility in the state that houses women, and it falls within the jurisdiction of the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC). Concerns have been raised repeatedly by women in custody, their families, advocates, attorneys, medical professionals, and the public. Too many continue to report that the underlying problems remain unsolved. It is essential that you give this issue your immediate attention and take urgent action to address the serious issues threatening the safety of these women under MDOC supervision,” Congresswoman Dingell said. 

Congresswoman Dingell ended the letter urging the state to direct every appropriate effort to ensure that any studies, inspections, environmental assessments, or reports concerning toxic mold and other health and safety conditions are released to the public. She also included a series of questions with a request for answers by June 19, 2026. 

“I urge you to direct every appropriate effort to ensure that any studies, inspections, environmental assessments, or reports concerning toxic mold and other health and safety conditions at Huron Valley Women’s Correctional Facility are released to the public,” said Congresswoman Dingell. “If the Attorney General’s office is preventing the release of these materials, I ask that you work with the Attorney General to make them available, along with clear next steps to address what led to these conditions.”

Congresswoman Dingell is a leading voice in the Democratic Women’s Caucus in the House of Representatives and has long been a champion for the health and safety of women, both before and since entering Congress. In July 2023, the congresswoman toured the Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility to learn more about the rehabilitation, career, and educational resources and medical care at the facilities, as well as hear from inmates about their experiences.

A copy of the letter can be found HERE and text is below:

Dear Governor Whitmer:

I am writing to express my continuing concern regarding the ongoing reports of toxic mold and other serious health, safety, medical, and living condition issues at the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility in my district in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The recent deaths of three women in custody–including two women who died on May 13 and May 17, and another woman who died over this past weekend on the morning of June 6–underscore the urgent need for immediate intervention and accountability. 

This facility is the only correctional facility in the state that houses women, and it falls within the jurisdiction of the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC). Concerns have been raised repeatedly by women in custody, their families, advocates, attorneys, medical professionals, and the public. Too many continue to report that the underlying problems remain unsolved. It is essential that you give this issue your immediate attention and take urgent action to address the serious issues threatening the safety of these women under MDOC supervision. 

No one should be subjected to conditions that threaten their health and well-being. But for years, there have been alarming reports of the condition of and treatment facing women in custody at the facility. Several have come forward with their experiences of having to clean toxic mold without proper safety equipment and describe a disturbing lack of medical care. Instances of toxic mold are particularly troubling because of the potential for respiratory illness and other long-term health consequences. The women’s experiences raise significant questions about whether adequate safeguards are in place to provide safe, humane, and adequate care to those in its custody, especially in light of the sudden and tragic deaths of Rebecca Fackler, Khaira Howard, and Ashley Hoath, who died within a month of each other. 

I’ve visited the facility for hours and spoken directly with women who are terrified for their wellbeing. Their concerns–and the concerns of the broader community–remain unaddressed, and public confidence in the facility has plummeted. These concerns warrant immediate review and meaningful corrective action to ensure that all individuals in state custody are treated humanely and provided with a safe environment.

The State of Michigan has both a legal and moral responsibility to ensure that correctional facilities are safe, humane, and operated in a manner that protects the health and dignity of every person in its custody. Transparency and accountability are essential to maintaining public trust in this facility, but unfortunately, the state’s failure to make testing results publicly available and its continued lack of response to residents’ legitimate concerns have only eroded confidence in the facility’s safety. 

I urge you to direct every appropriate effort to ensure that any studies, inspections, environmental assessments, or reports concerning toxic mold and other health and safety conditions at Huron Valley Women’s Correctional Facility are released to the public. If the Attorney General’s office is preventing the release of these materials, I ask that you work with the Attorney General to make them available, along with clear next steps to address what led to these conditions. As long as these reports remain unavailable, questions will persist about the severity of the problems and whether they are being adequately addressed. The women at Huron Valley, their families, staff, and the people of Michigan deserve access to the facts and the confidence that comes from an open and accountable process.

Given the urgency of these concerns, I request answers to the following questions by Friday, June 19, 2026.

1. How many grievances related to mold, environmental hazards, medical care, or unsafe living conditions have been filed during the past five years? 
    

2. How often is the facility tested for environmental and safety hazards, and by whom?
    

3. What remediation efforts have been undertaken in the last year, and how has the state verified their effectiveness? 
    

4. What is the process to address a safety concern after it is identified by a woman in custody or staff member of the facility?
    

5. When a woman in custody falls ill or is injured, what is the process for getting her timely and appropriate medical care? Who makes this decision?
    

6. If care is delayed or denied for a woman in custody for any reason, what options are available for her to appeal the decision?
    

7. In the last year, how many women have needed medical care? How many requests for medical care have been denied?
    

8. What investigations have been initiated regarding the deaths of Rebecca Fackler and Khaira Howard? Were either women receiving ongoing medical treatment at the time of death, and were there any outstanding requests for medical care? 
    

9. How do you ensure investigations into deaths at the facility are independent and not influenced by staff who were potentially involved in the incident? 
    

10. How many deaths have occurred at the facility in the past 10 years and what were the causes?
     

11. Are there any other threats to the health of women at the facility that the letter did not address? What steps are you taking to address those threats? 

Thank you for your attention to this serious matter.