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Family members of a Berkeley man who mysteriously died in a California Youth Authority prison last weekend said Wednesday that they suspect foul-play and a cover up. 

“We need answers, we need to know why [he died],” said Twanisha Brewer, the sister of Dyron Brewer, 24, who was found dead, alone in his room, at the Chaderjian CYA facility in Stockton at 3:54 a.m. Sunday. 

Surrounded by several other members of Brewer’s family who held up pictures of the young man, Twanisha tried to hold back tears as she talked about her brother. 

“That was my heart, and that was ripped from me,” she said. Brewer’s mom, Constance, sat by but was too emotional to speak. 

In a preliminary inquiry the coroner found no signs of foul play and the autopsy results are pending. They will be released in three to four weeks when the toxicology tests are completed, said Nellie Stone, the public information officer for the San Joaquin Sheriff’s Department. CYA officials said they have an inquiry underway, but the coroner’s office will handle the primary investigation. 

Brewer’s death is the fourth this year in CYA facilities. On Jan. 12 another ward—as CYA inmates are called—at Chaderjian died after ingesting toxic chemicals. Days later, on Jan. 19, two wards hung themselves at the Preston CYA prison in Ione. The facilities are designed to hold most offenders up to the age of 25. 

The Stockton facility also drew fire in April from critics pushing for reforms to the youth prisons after California State Sen. Gloria Romero (D-Los Angeles) released a videotape that showed prison guards beating two wards at the site. 

Brewer’s family said Dyron had no previous signs of illness and no history of drug abuse. They were barred from seeing the body at the coroner’s office, and instead were shown a Polaroid picture of his face. They could hardly recognize Brewer in the photograph, they said, but they would not specify what he looked like other than to say his face was swollen. 

Stone, from the sheriff’s office, said it is standard procedure to keep families from viewing the body. 

Unable to get answers about what had happened, the family teamed up with Books Not Bars, a human rights advocacy organization that focuses on incarcerated youth. Together they are demanding that CYA release any information they have that would add to the coroner’s report. They said they are going to file a freedom of information request for all documents related to the death and the treatment of wards in the facilities. 

“Given the CYA’s horrible track record of neglect, abuse, and cover up, we need a full investigation of how Dyron lost his life,” said Lenore Anderson, the director of Books Not Bars. “The CYA should release its reports on this incident and let the family know what happened to their son.” 

Brewer, who grew up in South Berkeley, was originally placed in CYA in 1995 for robbery. He was released in April of 2002 and had been in Washington on an inter-state parole until he was picked up on a parole violation, according to Sarah Ludeman, a CYA spokesperson. He re-entered CYA on Aug. 3, one month before he died. 

Family and friends said they were unaware of how Brewer violated his parole. Ludeman said she did not have that information either. 

At the CYA in Stockton, Brewer’s family and friends said he complained during phone conversations about being picked on by guards. He told them the guards were trying to get him in trouble so they could add time to his sentence. They said he was also confused about why he was back in CYA and pleaded with them to contact his parole officer to find out. 

Ronnie Leggett said that in his last conversation with Dyron two weeks ago, his friend told him, “the cops are picking at me. Call my parole officer and find out what the hold up is.” 

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