Madison County Jail inmate's death ruled suicide

WINTERSET, Iowa (AP) - The death of a 33-year-old Madison County Jail inmate has been ruled a suicide.

The State Medical Examiner’s Office says Joshua Barker’s death Jan. 6 was caused by a self-inflicted hanging.

Barker’s cellmates found him hanging by a towel around 12:30 p.m. Jail officials began CPR, and Barker was taken to a hospital in Winterset, where he later died.

Madison County Sheriff Jason Barnes says he hopes to release records related to the death, but that the office is still waiting for Barker’s toxicology results.

Barker was arrested during a traffic stop Jan. 3, when officers seized more than 200 grams of marijuana and drug paraphernalia from his car.

Barker had no listed attorney and family members could not immediately be reached by the Des Moines Register (https://dmreg.co/1V1eESn ).

___

Information from: The Des Moines Register, https://www.desmoinesregister.com