Family demands answers after 25-year-old man dies in solitary confinement at MDC Brooklyn
“I cannot sit down and see my child gone,” said Godfrie Cole’s mother, Anne Cole. “I know he didn’t kill himself. He didn’t take his life.”
More Stories
The family of a 25-year-old East New York man who died while being held in solitary confinement at the Metropolitan Detention Center Brooklyn is demanding answers about how he died.
“I cannot sit down and see my child gone,” said Godfrie Cole’s mother, Anne Cole. “I know he didn’t kill himself. He didn’t take his life.”
Anne Cole and her daughter, Angel Cole, said they were counting down the days until Godfrie Cole returned home.
“He definitely had a lot of life to live and wanted to live,” said Angel Cole, Godfrie’s twin sister. “He just, unfortunately didn’t get the chance to.”
The family’s hopes were shattered when they learned that Godfrie Cole died inside the federal detention center on Tuesday, July 21.
“Just broke down, you know, just couldn’t believe it, because that’s my twin brother,” Angel said.
Federal officials said Cole was found unresponsive inside the jail. Staff members attempted lifesaving measures before he was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons has not publicly disclosed how Godfrie Cole died. His family claims jail staff members told them he died of an overdose.
“They said that they found some pills on him, which if somebody is in solitary confinement, they shouldn’t have access to any of that besides the medications that he’s supposed to be taking and those are monitored,” Angel Cole said.
Angel said her brother had a history of mental illness, including bipolar disorder, but was otherwise physically healthy.
“He was on top of it because he knew that he in order for him to be able to come home, he needed to deal with his mental illness, you know, head on,” she said.
Godfrie Cole had been held at MDC Brooklyn since January 2024 and was serving a four-year sentence for a robbery in the Bronx.
His death is the second inmate death reported at MDC Brooklyn in the past three months. Federal prosecutors also announced charges this spring against dozens of people accused of smuggling contraband into the jail, including a correctional officer.
“It is a pity, it is a, you know, it’s sad,” Anne Cole said when asked how those allegations made her feel in light of the circumstances surrounding her son’s death.
The family is waiting for the medical examiner to determine Godfrie Cole’s cause of death.
“I think that honestly, they shouldn’t even be open,” Angel Cole said of the detention center.
Godfrie Cole’s attorneys are requesting a hearing and arguing that the Bureau of Prisons should explain what it knows about his death. They have also requested surveillance video, officer logs and mental health records from the agency.
News 12 reached out to the medical examiner and is awaiting a response.
