EDDYVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Officials say they are investigating the death of an inmate at Kentucky State Penitentiary.
A statement from Department of Corrections spokeswoman Lisa Lamb says the inmate was being held in restrictive custody for fighting on Tuesday when he “began self-harm actions” and staff tried to stop him.
Kentucky State Police said in a statement that they were called to the prison in western Kentucky on a report of an inmate not breathing. The statement says first responders arrived and asked that the coroner be called.
Police say Lyon County Deputy Coroner Sheena Snow pronounced 39-year-old Marcus J. Penman of Hopkinsville dead at the scene. Police said later that an autopsy was performed Wednesday and that the only sign of trauma appeared to be self-inflicted. An official cause of death is pending blood test results.
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