A 59-year-old Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainee was found dead in his cell early Monday at Miami Correctional Facility, the state prison in Bunker Hill north of Kokomo. The man, identified in immigration records as Lorth Sim, was being held in federal custody after an arrest in Boston late last year. Officials said the cause of death remains under investigation.
Immigration and court records describe Sim as a Cambodian national who came to the United States as a refugee and became a lawful permanent resident in the 1980s; an immigration judge ordered his removal in 2006, according to WFYI. The outlet reports that a congressional death notification shared by immigration researcher Austin Kocher states Sim was found shortly after 7 a.m. Monday and that he had been detained since December.
Facility and oversight
Miami Correctional Facility has been used to hold ICE detainees since last fall under an agreement between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the State of Indiana, a move that quickly drew scrutiny from some state lawmakers. The Indiana Department of Correction lists the prison in Bunker Hill as a Level 4 facility, according to the Indiana Department of Correction.
As transfers of ICE detainees began in October 2025, State Rep. Maureen Bauer urged formal legislative oversight of the arrangement, warning that the state needed more transparency around federal use of the facility, according to Indiana House Democrats.
A troubling national pattern
Sim’s death comes amid a series of in-custody fatalities that surged last year, with trackers and watchdogs reporting that 2025 was the deadliest year in decades for people held in ICE detention, according to the database The Human Cost of Detention. In a separate case that highlighted similar concerns, Reuters reported in January that a death at a large Texas detention site drew particular scrutiny after local officials indicated the medical examiner might classify it as a homicide.
Investigations and next steps
Officials say the cause of Sim’s death is still under investigation. ICE policy on detainee deaths requires notification to Congress and oversight offices and calls for a follow-up review and public reporting, according to the agency’s guidance. Local medical examiner findings, along with any federal reviews, will determine an official cause of death and could take weeks to complete.
Advocates and lawmakers who previously opposed expanding ICE detention capacity in Indiana say the case is likely to renew calls for transparency and consistent inspections at Miami Correctional Facility. State Rep. Bauer’s October letter asking for legislative oversight of the ICE arrangement at the prison is expected to resurface as families and legal advocates press for answers, according to Indiana House Democrats.
