Keaton Farris

Keaton Farris was a 25-year-old nature enthusiast from Lopez Island, off the coast of Washington State. His father, Fred, told the Lab that Keaton enjoyed spending time out on the water and growing vegetables and flowers at home. “He loved getting his hands dirty in the garden,” Fred said. On social media, Farris gushed about his love of the Salish Sea: “Thanks sea, for being so big, blue and neat. You too Sun, for your brilliant awesomeness.”

But Farris had been struggling with mental health issues, including bipolar disorder; his condition had improved with medication.

On March 20, 2015, police arrested Farris after they found him loitering outside a bank and determined that he had an outstanding arrest warrant for forging a check. He was booked at the Lynwood Municipality Jail and later transported to Snohomish County Jail, and then to the Skagit County Jail, before arriving at the Island County Jail, where he was to receive a mental health evaluation to determine whether he could assist in his own defense.

At Island County Jail, after Farris flooded his cell by putting his pillow in the toilet, jail staff turned off the water in his cell. Over the next several days, Farris’s condition deteriorated as he was denied consistent access to or adequate amounts of water. According to an investigation by the Island County Sheriff’s Office, he received an estimated 11% of the fluids that, per Institute of Medicine guidelines, he should have consumed during his time at the jail.

By April 7, Farris’s health had significantly declined. Despite visible signs of deterioration, jail staff did not meaningfully intervene. Although Farris was supposed to be monitored hourly, there were blocks of several hours preceding his death when he was not observed. Jail staff also logged checks of Farris’s cell that did not actually occur.

On the morning of April 8, a corrections officer discovered Farris unresponsive in his cell, which was littered with food scraps, including in the sink and toilet. The autopsy report lists his cause of death as dehydration with a contributing factor of malnutrition.

The Island County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to the Lab’s request for comment, but in a public letter released in June 2015, Sheriff Mark C. Brown wrote, “I am truly sorry for this tragic death. Mr. Farris did not receive the attention and care he needed.” Brown cited “a systematic breakdown of policies, procedures and communication that led to this tragedy.”

“Members of my jail staff are being held accountable for their lack of leadership and supervision," he continued. Several jail employees were suspended or placed on administrative leave following Farris’s death.

Farris’s loved ones protested regularly outside the jail for more than a year, and the community joined them. On Father’s Day, some 250 people marched seeking change outside the jail. Some held signs that read, “He died thirsty.”

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