State investigators have ordered an autopsy for an inmate who died Tuesday at the Cerro Gordo County Jail in Mason City. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation says in a written statement that a male inmate was discovered unresponsive in his jail cell at about 6:50 Tuesday morning and was later pronounced dead.
The statement says corrections officers tried to resuscitate the man with lifesaving efforts but were not successful. The name of the inmate was not released. The DCI says they are handling the investigation into the inmate’s death, which is common when anyone dies when they are in custody.
The inmate’s autopsy will be conducted at the State Medical Examiner’s office in Ankeny.
(Reporting by Bob Fisher, KRIB, Mason City)