Family of Illinois inmate who died in custody demands answers

KANKAKEE, Ill. - An Illinois family is demanding answers, after a man died in the custody of federal agents.

"A young man was taken into custody and three weeks later he was dead," said Jon Erickson, the family's attorney.

There is a mystery surrounding the death of 32-year-old Dwayne Tucker. The federal detainee went from police custody, to the hospital, and then to the morgue.

On August 16, 2022, Tucker's family says he was picked up by US Marshals and taken to the Metropolitan Correction Center (MCC) in Chicago. From Chicago, Tucker was transferred to Combs Detention Center in Kankakee, Illinois.

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On August 30, the family’s attorney says Tucker missed his court date at the Dirksen Federal Building.

"He missed his court date, his preliminary hearing on August 30th. The answers are unclear as to why, which is highly unusual," said Erickson.

The family says they received a late night text on September 7 that the 32-year-old was in the hospital, and they went to visit him the following day.

"I believe my brother was brutally beaten. He had too many scars on him that he didn’t have when he left my presence on August 16," said brother Dennis Tucker, Jr.

On September 9, Tucker was dead.

"He was severely dehydrated that it caused kidney damage," said Erickson. "The kidney damage led to brain damage which ultimately led to his death."

The family declined to get into specifics about Tucker’s case, but says they know he didn’t have kidney issues and had no signs of injury when they last saw him.

"We will organize, march, and rally to make sure we get a complete investigation as to what happened to my nephew," said Zirlena Smith-Members, Tucker’s aunt.

The Kankakee County Sheriff's Department did not respond to FOX 32's request for comment on this story.