Security Hospital confirms patient death

A 59-year-old man died at the Minnesota Security Hospital on Sunday, the Minnesota Department of Human Services and the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed Tuesday.

The man is the second Minnesota Security Hospital patient to die in the past three weeks.

DHS declined to release any information about either death. Last month, DHS confirmed that a facility patient died on March 28. Department spokesperson Patrice Vick said state and federal law prevents DHS from releasing information on the deaths.

Both bodies were sent to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office for autopsy. Chief investigator Don Gorrie said the medical examiner's reports for both cases will not be available for several weeks. The medical examiner has not released any preliminary findings about the cause of death for either patient.

Nearly 400 adults who have been deemed "mentally ill and dangerous" by the judicial system receive treatment at the St. Peter, Minn. facility.

The Minnesota Security Hospital has been in turmoil in recent months, culminating in the forced resignation of top administrator David Proffitt on March 27.