Inmate nearing release after decades behind bars found dead in Kansas prison

A 44-year-old man who had been in prison for murder since 1994 but was expected to be released in 2021 was found dead Saturday morning at the Lansing Correctional Facility.

The Kansas Department of Corrections said the Kansas Bureau of Investigation is investigating the death of Joshua Kaiser, per corrections’ policy. Kaiser was paroled last year for a 1993 carjacking and killing in Topeka, according to the Associated Press.

Kaiser and Jason Schaeffer, a 43-year-old inmate at Ellsworth Correctional Facility, robbed 33-year-old Tim Riley of his car, forced him into the trunk at gunpoint. They then drove him to another area, where he was fatally shot, the AP reported.

Kaiser still needed to serve a sentence for aggravated battery committed in Reno County but was expected to be released in 2021, according to the AP.

“Mr. Kaiser’s cause of death is considered pending at this time, based on the results of this investigation and autopsy,” the KDOC said in a press release.

This story was originally published December 7, 2019 at 7:08 PM.