A woman at the center of a controversy over allegations of toxic mold in Michigan’s only women’s prison has been transferred to another facility after seeking relief in federal court, state officials confirmed.Krystal Clark is now at Duane Waters Health Center in Jackson, which houses inmates with unique medical needs. Her family filed an emergency petition this week that alleged serious medical issues stemming from toxic mold at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Ypsilanti.Clark and others at the prison have alleged years of unsafe conditions at the prison, leading to a class-action lawsuit and calls among legislators for the resignation of the state’s top prison official.In recent months, four inmates have died — and corrections officials on Thursday released an autopsy report for one of them, Khaira Howard. The 28-year-old died on May 13, two weeks after she was due for parole. The autopsy revealed she died of a blood clot that blocked an artery to her lungs and suffered from a heart condition that left fluid in her lungs.
The report concluded that there was no evidence of “significant acute or recent trauma” and that her weight was a contributing factor to her death. Clark, meanwhile, was transferred after saying she suffered from respiratory issues, ear infections and hearing loss so acute that she needs an assistive-listening device for telephone conversations.
