The mother of an inmate who committed suicide in February while in the psychiatric housing unit of the State Correctional Institution at Houtzdale has filed a federal lawsuit in which she charges the institution failed in its duty to constantly monitor her son.

The mother, Tracey A. Watson of Williamsport, reported her son, Edward Joseph Bower Jr., was placed in a psychiatric observation cell on Feb. 18 where he was to be monitored, or placed under “constant watch,” as a suicide precaution.

The procedure, as outlined under policies of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, is to have an officer maintain eye contact with the individual under suicide watch either in person or by camera, and that the officers maintaining eye contact are to rotate every two hours.

If the inmate under watch covers his cell window or blocks the view, corrections officers are trained that is a signal of “imminent risk of suicide, requiring immediate action to restore visual contact,” the lawsuit emphasized.

According to the lawsuit, at about 11 p.m. Feb. 18, Bower placed a prison-issued orange jumpsuit over his cell window, yet this action was allegedly disregarded and no additional check was made by officers throughout the night.

When officers entered Bower’s cell at 7 a.m. Feb. 19, he was found deceased, hanging in the cell.

Philadelphia attorney Dylan T. Hastings, who represents the mother, stated in the lawsuit that “Edward was cold to the touch … indicating he had been deceased for hours.”

The prison, through a news release, reported Bower was found unresponsive when officers entered his cell and died “despite life-saving measures by members of the Unit Team.”

State police were informed about the inmate’s death and the prison indicated an investigation would follow.

Bower’s manner of death was ruled a suicide by hanging by the Clearfield County Medical Examiner, according to the Watson lawsuit.

It continued, stating, “This action seeks to hold Defendants accountable for violating Edward’s constitutional rights and for the wrongful death that flowed directly from their deliberate indifference and systemic failures.”

The only named defendant so far is Houtzdale Superintendent David Close, but others are expected to be added as the investigation into the death continues, the lawsuit indicated.

However, Hastings addressed several issues in the lawsuit.

Houtzdale, the lawsuit pointed out, experiences chronic staffing shortages, thereby making it difficult to maintain a “constant watch” as required, on those suffering suicide ideation.

Bower’s death by suicide was preventable, according to the lawsuit, but was inevitable because of the “deliberate indifference of the defendants.”

Hastings pointed out that Bower’s suicide was the eighth such death at SCI Houtzdale over the past four years.

Houtzdale, he summed up, is a experiencing a “suicide epidemic.”

The recent suicides have included:

— Matthew Vanzandt, 33, in May 2022.

— Michael Shaffer, 44, in October 2022.

— Lance Heverly, 39, in November 2024.

— Daniel Barnett, 40, in February 2024.

— Anthony James Raimo, 37, in October 2024.

— Justin Johnson, 35, in July 2024.

— Merrit Dudas, 36, in October 2025.

— Edward J. Bower Jr., 31, in February 2026.

Pennsylvania has two dozen correctional institutions, with the highest number of suicides occurring at Houtzdale, according to Hastings.

“This concentration of suicide deaths within a single institution is inconsistent with national correctional patterns, renders Houtzdale a statistical outlier, and demonstrates Defendant Close was on actual and constructive notice of substantial and ongoing risk of serious harm, including suicide.

“Defendant Close’s failure to take corrective action in the face of this known pattern constitutes deliberate indifference,” the lawsuit charged.

Bower’s mother is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, funeral and burial expenses and survival damages.

Bower was in prison serving a term of seven to 14 years for burglarizing and later setting fire to a cabin to cover up his identity, according to the lawsuit.

He is survived by his mother and two daughters.

Hastings also represents Diane L. Kaufmann, the mother of Lance Heverly.

The Kaufmann lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Johnstown last October.

That lawsuit is awaiting a judge’s decision on motions to dismiss, which were filled in February.

The Bower lawsuit has been referred for review to Magistrate Judge Peter Ormsby in Pittsburgh.

Close, the only named defendant so far in the Bower case, could not be reached for comment.

Houtzdale has an inmate population of approximately 2,200 inmates.