FARMINGTON, Utah, July 25, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — Flint Harrison — charged with his son last month with the kidnapping and murder of a Utah postal worker, among other crimes — was found dead late Sunday night after apparently hanging himself in his cell.
The Davis County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed the news.
“Davis County Corrections deputies responded to a report of a hanging inside our facility,” said a news release, released just after midnight on Monday morning.
“Our deputies and nursing staff immediately began efforts to revive the inmate, and worked with our paramedics as well as Farmington Fire Fighters for over 20 minutes. The resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.
“The individual who hanged himself was identified as 52-year-old Flint Wayne Harrison of Pinedale, Wyoming. Inmate Harrison was being held on several first-degree felonies for aggravated kidnapping, weapons, and drug offenses as well as charges of murder, theft, and kidnapping from Wyoming.”
The in-custody death investigation will be conducted by Weber County officials.
Harrison and son Dereck James (D.J.) Harrison, 22, were charged June 28 with two counts of murder, one count of kidnapping and one count of wrongful taking or disposing of property in the beating death of Utah Transit Authority work Kay Porter Ricks, 63.
Authorities believe Ricks was kidnapped as the father and son tried to flee the state after reportedly kidnapping a mother and her four teenage daughters, and attacking them with a baseball bat after luring the five to a home by inviting them to a barbecue.
The victims were able to escape and summon help.
Both Harrisons were brought back from Wyoming, where Ricks’ murder took place, to Utah, to face charges on the mother and daughters’ kidnapping case while Wyoming officials conducted their murder investigation.
Flint Harrison’s suicide came 26 days after the Wyoming murder charges were filed.
Richard Massey, a spokesman for the Ricks family, released a statement Monday concerning the death of Flint Harrison:
“We anticipated that Flint Harrison would answer for his actions in a courtroom. And while we cannot know for certain why he chose to take his life, we can only believe that his actions had something to do with the hard work of multiple law enforcement agencies … in gathering the evidence needed to charge and convict Flint and his son (with) the brutal and senseless murder of Kay.”
Massey said the Ricks family would like Davis County prosecutors to drop Utah kidnapping and assault charges so Dereck Harrison can be returned to Wyoming sooner, to face murder charges there.
“The Ricks Family knows full well that nothing will bring Kay back,” Massey’s statement said. “However, we hoped that Flint and D.J. Harrison would both answer for their crimes. Now, D.J. is left to explain.”
