ST CHARLES, Mo. — A death investigation was launched after an inmate at St. Charles County Corrections was found unresponsive early Tuesday morning.
A spokesperson for St. Charles County said the 39-year-old inmate had gotten out of his bunk to use the bathroom in his cell at about 3:30 a.m. Tuesday. He had not returned to his bunk and was unresponsive when correction officers made their 15-minute wellness checks, which are performed around the clock for all new detainees at the county jail.
Corrections and medical staff began performing CPR with rescue breaths and used a defibrillator on the inmate until EMS arrived and took over at 4:10 a.m., according to the county. The inmate was pronounced dead at 4:45 a.m.
According to the county, the inmate, whose name was being withheld pending the notification of his next of kin, arrived at the facility on May 22 and was detoxing from fentanyl and other drugs.
No contraband was found, and there were no signs that the inmate had obtained drugs within the facility or that his death was self-inflicted or the result of foul play, the spokesperson said.
County police assumed the ongoing investigation, and St. Charles County medical examiner will be performing an autopsy.
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