The same California jail reportedly strangled two women during conjugal visits to their spouses four months apart.
Tania Thomas, 47, was last seen visiting her husband at Mule Creek State Prison in California in July and was likely strangled.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation informed NBC that Stephanie Dowells, 62, was strangled while visiting her husband at the same institution four months later in November.
According to the publication, Anthony Curry, Thomas’ husband, is serving life for attempted second-degree murder. He was just accused with murdering Thomas.
NBC reported that Dowells’ husband, David Brinson, 54, was sentenced to four life sentences without parole for killing four men during a 1990s heist.
The Amador County Coroner’s Office informed NBC that Dowells was homicide but is still investigating.
“Something needs to be done, and it should have been done two homicides ago,” Thomas’ cousin Jeanine Rojo told NBC. “I’m sick to my stomach that this happened to Tania, but then it happened again just months after her to Stephanie,” she said. “It should have been prevented.”
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation says certain inmates are qualified for family visits in prison apartments. They last 30-40 hours, according their website.
Only those who maintain excellent conduct and satisfy program criteria are considered. These visits promote strong family relationships and effective recovery, the CDCR told PEOPLE.
According to NBC, both families want conjugal visit eligibility changed. Since Thomas and Dowells’ husbands were convicted of violent crimes, they think they should not have been granted visits.
Armand Torres, 28, Dowells’ son, thinks these visits, supervised or not, should be more intense.
“I want them to take some accountability for this, the prison,” Dowells’ 28-year-old son Armand Torres told NBC. Because what’s preventing the next individual from murdering their wife, kid, or anyone?