Rist, 54, was pronounced dead by the on-call doctor at Susan B. Allen Memorial Hospital at approximately 11:33 a.m. The official cause of death is pending an autopsy, but is not believed to be COVID-19 related. 

Per protocol, when an offender dies in the custody of the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) the death is under investigation by the KDOC and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

Rist was serving a 130-month sentence for multiple Sedgwick County convictions in 2010 and 2011 including an offender registration violation, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, and several additional possession of drug convictions.

The Wichita Work Release Facility, a satellite unit of the Winfield Correctional Facility, is an all-male, minimum-custody state prison with a population of 250.