Death at El Dorado Correctional Facility under investigation
EL DORADO, Kan. (WIBW) - The Tuesday death of an El Dorado Correctional Facility inmate who was serving more than 47 years for murder is under investigation.
The Kansas Department of Corrections said inmate Andrew Ellmaker, 39, from Overland Park in Johnson County, was found unresponsive Tuesday morning in his cell.
El Dorado Correctional Facility staff members and paramedics administered life-saving measures but were unable to revive him, officials said.
The cause of Ellmaker’s death is pending the results of an independent autopsy.
In keeping with protocol, when a resident dies in the custody of the Kansas Department of Corrections, the death is under investigation by both the KDOC and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
The investigation is ongoing.
Ellmaker was serving a 565-month sentence for convictions of first-degree murder and aggravated battery in the 2004 murder of Teri Zenner, 26, in Johnson County, according to KCTV.
Investigators said Ellmaker stabbed Zenner to death as she visited his home, then tried to dismember her, KCTV reports.
Ellmaker also stabbed his mother, who tried to stop the attack, KCTV said. Ellmaker’s mother survived her injuries.
The El Dorado Correctional Facility is the state’s second-largest facility. It serves only adult males and has a capacity of 1,900 residents.
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