() — The family of a woman who was killed during a conjugal visit at Mule Creek State Prison in California wants justice.

Stephanie Dowells was 62 years old when she passed away during a conjugal visit on November 13, 2024, with her husband, David Brinson. Brinson, a convicted murderer, is serving four consecutive life sentences for a quadruple murder committed in 1990.

Brinson reportedly told officers around 2 a.m. that day that Dowells had passed out. She was later declared dead.

Nataly Jimenez, a relative of Dowells, mentioned that the family was initially informed that she had died from natural causes. However, an Amador County coroner determined four months later that she had been strangled.

Jimenez explained they initiated a private autopsy shortly after Dowells’ death due to a forensic analyst’s suggestion of abuse evidence. She noted that the coroner’s report emerged while the private autopsy was still in process.

“I honestly feel like they were trying to sweep it under,” Jimenez said Monday on “Banfield.”

Dowells was not the only woman killed at the prison during a conjugal visit. Tania Thomas died July 1, 2024, and was allegedly killed by her partner, convicted carjacker Anthony Curry.

Curry’s case went to the district attorney’s office in December.

What are conjugal visits?

A conjugal visit is a scheduled visit in which an inmate is allowed to spend several hours or days in private with a partner.

According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, conjugal visits, also known as “family visits,” happen in apartment-like facilities on prison grounds and can last 30 to 40 hours. The family visits are restricted to immediate family only.

Inmates on death row, anyone with convictions for sex offenses, or anyone with disciplinary restrictions are not allowed to have family visits.

Lenard Vare, a former prison warden, called the conjugal visit deaths “troubling,” and in David Brinson’s situation, it was uncommon since he was reported to be suicidal.

“That should have been a big red flag,” Vare said.

Charges have not been filed against Brinson in Dowells’ death.