An official says an inmate being held at the New Orleans jail for attempted murder has died after being found unresponsive in his cell.
Blake Arcuri, general counsel for the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office which runs the jail, says in a statement that the 28-year-old inmate died Monday.
He was found unresponsive in his cell Saturday just after lunch, and staff immediately started emergency lifesaving treatment.
He was taken to University Medical Center where he died. Arcuri says an investigation is being conducted into the circumstances surrounding his death but early indications do not suggest that a physical altercation or self-harm were factors.
The inmate's name is being withheld pending notification of his next of kin. He had been in custody for a year on an attempted murder charge.