American university student who, while visiting North Korea as a tourist in January 2016, was arrested and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment with hard labor after being convicted for attempted theft of a propaganda poster from his hotel.
Approximately one month after his sentencing, Warmbier suffered severe neurological injury from an unknown cause. North Korean authorities did not disclose his medical condition until June 2017, when they announced he had fallen into a coma as a result of botulism and a sleeping pill.
The United States made diplomatic efforts to seek Warmbier’s release, and Warmbier was freed in June 2017, in a comatose state after 17 months in captivity. He was repatriated to the United States, arriving in Cincinnati, Ohio, on 13 June, and was taken to University of Cincinnati Medical Center for immediate evaluation and treatment.
His U.S. physicians found no evidence of botulism. Nevertheless, a Coroner’s report was unable to identify the cause of the injury, finding no evidence of physical torture on Warmbier’s body.
Warmbier never regained consciousness and died on 19 June 2017, aged 22, six days after his return to the United States. U.S. officials blamed North Korea for his death. He was one of 16 American citizens detained by North Korea since 1996, including three who are still in custody.
Link to Wikipedia biography