The Portland Police Department is investigating the death of an incarcerated man who was found unresponsive in his cell at the Cumberland County Jail on Wednesday morning.
Sheriff Kevin Joyce, said in an email Wednesday evening that the inmate was a male, either 65 or 66 years old.
A statement issued by Capt. John Costello of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department earlier provided no details about the inmate’s identity or manner of death, and that the man’s name won’t be released until next of kin have been notified.
It is the second inmate death reported this week in Maine. Nicole Turner, 35, of Biddeford was found dead in her cell at the York County Jail in Alfred on Sunday morning. Maine State Police are investigating her death as a suspected overdose.
A Cumberland County corrections officer discovered the man unresponsive in his cell while making rounds at 9:57 a.m. Wednesday, Costello said. The officer called for assistance and life-saving measures were undertaken by jail security and medical staff. A crew from Portland’s ambulance service also provided aid, but they weren’t able to revive the man.
The Maine Department of Corrections and Office of the Chief Medical Examiner also were notified.
“Until all proper notifications are made the name of the deceased will not be released and the cause and manner of the death will be determined by the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office,” Costello said.
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