Apr 16, 2024

Man in prison for Kansas murder found dead in his cell

Posted Apr 16, 2024 2:00 AM
Robert Edwin Blanchette photo KDOC
Robert Edwin Blanchette photo KDOC

LANSING, Kan. — Lansing Correctional Facility inmate Robert Edwin Blanchette, 44, died Monday, according to a media release from the Kansas Department of Corrections.

He was found unresponsive in his cell. Staff and Emergency Medical Service personnel administered life-saving measures but were unable to revive him. The cause of death is pending the results of an independent autopsy.

Blanchette was serving a life sentence for convictions of first-degree murder and kidnapping in the commission of a crime in Reno County.

Per protocol, when a resident 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. The investigation is ongoing.