In-Custody Death at Red Lake Detention Center Under Investigation

Dwan White Owl (Credit: GoFundMe campaign page)

The Red Lake Police Department says it’s investigating an in-custody death at the Red Lake Detention Center.

According to a Facebook post from the police department, the death happened on June 12, and that further details will be shared once the investigation is complete.

Native News Online reports that 42-year-old Dwan White Owl is the person who died. White Owl’s daughter, Danitra Warpaint, told Native News Online that she and her mother were arrested at Red Lake’s Seven Clans Casino in Thief River Falls on Friday, June 9.

Warpaint says she and White Owl were placed in the same cell and that White Owl was complaining of having cold sweats, migraines, chest and stomach pains, and was vomiting. Warpaint said White Owl was eventually taken to the Red Lake hospital but was discharged and returned to the detention center, where she later died.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up for the family. On that page, it says the family is looking to hire an attorney and is “asking for justice for the inhumane treatment she received while in the care of the Red Lake Tribal Jail.”