Death by Dehydration Prompts Changes at Island County Jail

Keaton Farris, 25, died April 7 of dehydration and malnutrition after spending 13 days in the Island County Jail

Update: A report issued June 18 by the Island County Sheriff’s Office was highly critical of the jail’s handling of Keaton Farris. The report found that jail staff failed to give Farris enough water, did not subject Farris to a medical evaluation, and later lied about how many times staff checked on Farris. Read the full report.

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Original story from June 17:

The recent death of a young man in the Island County Jail is prompting “immediate changes” at the jail, officials say. But the man’s family is organizing a protest this weekend to keep pressure on the county to follow through.

Keaton Farris, 25, died April 7 of dehydration and malnutrition after spending 13 days in the jail. Originally from Lopez Island, Farris was arrested for failure to make a court appearance in connection with a charge of cashing a $350 forged check in January. He had no prior criminal convictions.

“He died of dehydration. I’m angry at anybody who could have saved his life. Malnutrition and dehydration aren’t quick. He suffered. And that is something I have a really hard time with,” said his mother, Tiffany Ferrians. “It’s agonizing to me to think of what he went through, to my core.”

Farris is remembered as a stand out athlete at Lopez Island High School, a “class clown,” outdoorsman, prolific writer, and devoted son, brother and friend.

“He was an awesome guy. He took the time to reach out to people he thought were having a hard time and give them his best,” said his dad, Fred Farris.

But in the last two years of his life, Keaton struggled with mental illness. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2013 but had improved with medication. Fred Farris said he thinks the legal problems surrounding the forged check led to his son’s condition worsening.

“I get the feeling now that it pushed him to the point of anxiety and brought him back to an unhealthy mental state,” said Farris.

Jail records make it clear Keaton was experiencing extreme mental health problems behind bars. He refused to communicate with jail staff, and a doctor who evaluated him concluded Farris had become “quite psychotic.”

But no one communicated to family members that Keaton was suffering from any physical health problems. And the parents were denied visitations with their son. They said jail staff told them a visit would “aggravate” Keaton.

Keaton’s family said they were stunned by the cause of death. A hospital is located three blocks from the jail.

“It’s unconscionable,” said Ferrians. “This should never have happened. We should still have his loving laugh and smile and his wonderful words here.”

“He was healthy when I hugged him a month before, really healthy,” said Fred Farris.

Keaton’s parents think their son was ignored inside the jail because his mental health issues made him a problem inmate — a hassle in the eyes of jail staff.

Farris’s parents said their son was not given his medications while behind bars.

“There’s no way to look around the fact that he wasn’t treated like a human being. You wouldn’t let that happen to anybody,” said Fred Farris.

Inconsistencies in jail timeline

In a report obtained by KING 5, Island County Coroner Robert Bishop says he was suspicious of the jail’s description of what happened the night Keaton died.

“They [corrections officers] told me he had been checked at 2030 [8:30 p.m.] and the log noted he was breathing at that time. The last time they could verify he was alive was at the 2030 check,” wrote Bishop.

After examining Keaton’s body, Bishop said he believes Keaton would have already been dead at that time.

“In my investigative form I purposefully did not put in the last time and last person to see Keaton alive because I did not believe what the Jail Corrections Officers were telling me about the check at 2030 and Keaton breathing at that time. I do not know who last saw Keaton alive and what time that would have been,” wrote Bishop.

Keaton’s parents want to make sure their only son didn’t die in vain. They’ve passed out thousands of water bottles -– a reference to what could have saved his life. The bottles have a photo Keaton along with a quote from Nobel Prize-winning physician Albert Szent-Gyorgyi: “Water is life’s matter and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water.”

They’ve sold hundreds of t-shirts that will be worn at a protest this weekend. The shirts feature an image of Keaton and one of his quotes, posted on Facebook in 2012: “I see your hate, and raise you One Love.”

“We want to make sure that things get changed and that this doesn’t happen [again], so we’ve spoken with friends and family and said, ‘Hey, it’s time to make some noise and honor Keaton that way,'” said Fred Farris.

The Island County Sheriff said his staff has finished an internal report on the incident and that the results will be made public on Thursday. He told KING 5 he was working with his management team to institute “immediate changes” at the jail.

The protest in honor of Keaton will be held on Sunday, June 21, at 10:00 a.m. in front of the Island County Jail. You can read more about Keaton’s life at the website keatonh2o.com.

“Change has to happen. Things have to change,” said Tiffany Ferrians. “But we will never get what we really want out of this. We’ll never get Keaton back.

Written by Susannah Frame at KING 5 News