LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — The Nevada Department of Corrections is investigating the deaths of four inmates at two state prisons as homicides, with officials citing drug debt as a factor.
According to the release from the Nevada Department of Corrections, three deaths at High Desert State Prison and one at Southern Desert Correctional Center are being investigated.
Jacob Herman, 35, died at High Desert State Prison on July 16. He was serving a sentence of 12 to 36 months for larceny from a person and had been with NDOC since May 20, 2024.
Jordan Canteberry, 34, died at High Desert State Prison in Indian Springs on July 26. He was serving 12 to 30 months for robbery and possession of a firearm by an ex-felon. He had been with NDOC since June 18, 2025.
Dmarea Wallace, 18, died at High Desert State prison on Aug. 6. He had been with NDOC since Dec. 8, 2023, and was serving 36 to 96 months.
Ryan Warren-Hunt, 35, died Aug. 11 at Southern Desert Correctional Center. He was serving a sentence for burglary with a firearm, robbery, and conspiracy to commit a violent crime with the use of a deadly weapon. His 192 to 900-month sentence was in progress, and he had arrived at NDOC on April 10, 2020.
Officials said the deaths occurred in different housing units, and investigators said the incidents “appear unrelated.” They called drug debt an “exacerbating factor.”
Department officials said surveillance will increase and staff operations will shift to reduce the number of offenders outside their cells simultaneously. In addition, officials have begun reviewing offender classification procedures and housing practices.
Officials are trying to find ways to stop contraband and illegal substances from entering department facilities, and committees consisting of former offenders, researchers, advocates and IT experts are being formed to help address those issues.
“We can’t rely on our traditional operation plans alone,” said James Dzurenda, director of the Nevada Department of Corrections. “We have to do something that’s unique. We need to get creative in bringing in different perspectives and attack this problem from all angles. This is our top priority.”
The investigation into the deaths is ongoing, officials said.
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