LPD: Inmate found dead at Haymarket hotel died of drug overdose

Authorities provided an update Monday morning on an investigation after an inmate who was doing maintenance work at a Lincoln hotel through a prison work-release program was found dead and another worker was found unresponsive.

Lincoln Police Chief Jeff Bliemeister said the inmate, identified as 49-year-old Craig Haynes, of Lincoln, died of a drug overdose. He was found dead Saturday in the basement of the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in the Haymarket area. Bliemeister said a toxicology report is still pending.

Police say the other maintenance worker, a 26-year-old man, is expected to survive after being resuscitated at the scene with Narcan. 

Haynes had been an inmate at the Community Correctional Center-Lincoln, serving a 10- to 12-year sentence for convictions that included operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest, third-degree assault and making terroristic threats. He had a tentative release date of November 2020.    

*** An earlier version of this story said that Haynes was serving a sentence for third-degree sexual assault, following a press release from the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services to the media saying Haynes was serving time for third-degree sexual assault. However, Channel 8 Eyewitness News found records showing Haynes was actually convicted of third-degree assault, and this was confirmed by NDCS officials. We apologize for the error.