UPDATE:
The St. Joseph County Prosecutor's office released the following update on the inmate suicide:
The St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit (CMHU) has notified the family of the inmate discovered hung this morning in his locked jail cell at the St.
Joseph County Jail, and is now able to release his name.
The deceased individual has been positively identified as Dion Arnez Alexander, M/B, 46 years old.
This remains an active and on-going CMHU investigation. An autopsy for Mr. Alexander has been scheduled for tomorrow, August 6th, at 9:30 a.m. in Fort Wayne, Indiana. We will release further information to the media as we are able to do so.
ORIGINAL POST:
Today officials with the St. Joseph Co. Police Department in South Bend released limited information about an inmate suicide. The release is below:
St. Joseph County – August 5, 2019 – At approximately 6:10 a.m. this morning a St. Joseph County jail corrections officer on rounds discovered an inmate hung inside his locked jail cell. The corrections officer immediately cut the inmate down, called for assistance, and removed the inmate from his cell to receive medical attention. Additional jail officers and jail nursing staff responded to the inmate’s cell to provide CPR and apply an automated external defibrillator (AED). South Bend Fire EMT’s also made the scene. The lifesaving efforts of our jail officers and the medical technicians were unsuccessful, and the inmate passed away. The inmate was the sole occupant of the cell at the time of the incident.
As required by departmental policy for all in custody jail death, St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit was activated and has begun its investigation of the death. The inmate was being held in the St. Joseph County jail as a Federal detainee of the U.S. Marshals and was awaiting sentencing in Federal Court.
Further information regarding the investigation into the inmate’s death will come from the St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit and the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office. Inquiries regarding the federal detainee can be directed to the U.S. Marshal’s Service.