Daniel Williams, 22, dies after being 'tied up, beaten and sexually assaulted for two days' by prison gang a fortnight before he was due to be released from Alabama facility after a 12-month sentence for theft

An inmate who was allegedly tortured, beaten and sexually assaulted by a prison gang just 14 days before he was due to be released has died, his family revealed.

Daniel Williams, 22, was serving a 12-month sentence for second degree theft at Staton Correctional Facility in Elmore, Alabama when a warden reportedly found him unresponsive in his dorm on October 22.

He was declared brain dead upon his arrival at the hospital and provided palliative care, his family detailed in a GoFundMe campaign. He was taken off life support on November 5 and passed away four days later.

The warden reportedly told his family that Williams suffered a 'drug overdose', but insiders at the prison told the Alabama Political Reporter that he had been 'kidnapped, bound, assaulted and sold out' by another inmate for 'two or three days'.

His father Terry Williams and step-mother Taylor Bostic allege that their son's body showed signs of physical abuse, including that 'his hands were bound'. 

The couple claim Williams' doctor described the alleged abuse as unlike anything he had ever seen throughout his 30-year medical career.

Williams was reportedly taken to Jackson Hospital after having suffered a reported drug overdose at the prison.

His family were not notified of his hospitalization until three days later on October 25. They then visited him at the facility and observed bruises and injuries indicative of assault on his body. 

'Went to see him he's beaten and bruised up and you can tell where his hands were bound. I mean, you can tell it's obviously not a drug overdose,' Bostic told the newspaper.

'And that's when [Terry] called the warden and asked him why the hell he told us that his son is dying from a drug overdose when it's obviously assault. And all he could say after that was it's under investigation.'

In addition to bruising and apparent binding, Bostic claims a nurse told her and Mr Williams that there were 'visible hand print bruises between Daniel's legs'.

The family says they asked for a rape kit be conducted but claims their request was initially denied. They allege hospital staff finally carried out the examination of November 1 after a lawyer got involved. The results of the kit are unclear.

The hospital removed Williams from life support on November 5 and were reportedly told that if he did not die within 10 days a warden would have to decide whether or not he needed to return to prison.

The 22-year-old was then transferred to a medical ward at Kilby Correctional Center on November 9 and died shortly after his arrival.

Mr Williams and Bostic say they are now committed to trying to get justice for Williams, who leaved behind a son and daughter, both aged one.

'We've got to stop this,' the outraged father said. 'If I can save a couple lives. You know. I'm thankful.'

The couple have attained an attorney and claim the hospital has refused to respond to his lawyer's inquiries. A crowdfunding campaign has been created to help with funeral expenses and other related costs.

The Alabama Department of Corrections has confirmed reports of a 'possible inmate-on-inmate assault' on October 22.

In a statement to Alabama.com, a spokesperson said: 'On Sunday, October 22, 2023, a possible inmate-on-inmate assault was reported at Staton Correctional Facility. Inmate Williams was discovered unresponsive in his dorm and was transported to the Health Care Unit. 

'Medical personnel treated Williams and monitored his condition. The decision was made to transfer him to an area hospital for further evaluation and treatment.' 

Federal authorities have been investigating violence in Alabama prisons since 2019 after the Department of Justice released a report alleging prison conditions violated inmate's civil rights.

The report alleged that the state did not take enough measures to prevent inmate-on-inmate violence and sexual abuse, failure to protect them from excessive force by staff, and failure to provide safe conditions of confinement. 

The DOJ then sued Alabama over its 'unsafe' prison conditions in 2020.

The Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), a nonprofit organization that advocates for inmates' rights, has branded Williams' death as 'tragic' and 'preventable', alleging that cases like his occur 'all too frequently in Alabama’s prisons'.

The EJI also argues that it 'many cases' medical emergencies are dismissed by prison staff as 'intoxicated' or being the inmates' 'on fault'. The advocacy group claims that often times deaths could have been prevented if the 'person been treated in time'.

MailOnline has approached the Williams family and Alabama Department of Corrections for comment.