UPDATE (4:21 P.M.): According to a news release from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, on February 16, 59-year-old Lorth Sim, died in ICE custody at the Miami Correctional Facility in Bunker Hill, Indiana.

Facility staff found Sim unresponsive in his cell and after lifesaving efforts by staff and EMS, Sim was pronounced dead at 7:10 a.m. Sim's cause of death is under investigation.

Sim was arrested in 1989 for disorderly conduct, in 1996 for indecent exposure, and in 2005 for larceny, where he received a suspended sentence and probation but did not receive prison time.

In 2006, ICE arrested Sim, and an immigration judge ordered his removal to Cambodia. On December 30, 2025, ICE officers encountered Sim at ICE office lobby in Boston, Massachusetts and informed him he was under arrest and would then be detained in ICE custody pursuant to a warrant of removal.

Earlier this year, ICE Boston transferred Sim to ICE Chicago custody.

In 1983, Sim entered the U.S. as a refugee and then in 1986 became a permanent resident.

As required by agency policy, ICE notified the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General, ICE's Office of Professional Responsibility and the Cambodian consulate regarding Sim's death.
For the full press release, click here. 

ORIGINAL: MIAMI COUNTY, Ind. - According to a news release from Indiana House Democrats, a Cambodian detainee was found dead in his cell Monday morning at the Miami Correctional Facility.

The release states the man was being held at the request of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). His identity is still unknown. 

Democrat State Rep.  Ed DeLaney shared a statement saying, “I have spoken to officials at the Department of Correction and urged them to conduct a thorough investigation of the death of this detainee. We need to ensure that our procedures and medical contractors are up to the task of appropriately caring for people in ICE custody."

ABC57 contacted Indiana State Police, the Indiana Department of Corrections, and ICE for further information and comment.

We will update this story when we hear back.