Garner Correctional Inmate Death Under Investigation In Newtown

NEWTOWN, CT — The Connecticut Department of Correction is investigating the possible suicide of a man housed at the Garner Correctional Institution in Newtown.

At around 3:30 Monday afternoon, a correctional staff member conducting a routine tour observed a man alone in his cell with a ligature tied to his neck, according to a statement from the state Correction Department.

Correctional and medical staff immediately initiated emergency and life-saving measures, officials said, and the inmate was taken to a local hospital.

The inmate, Eric Meagan, 34, of New Milford, was pronounced dead at 3:52 p.m.

Meagan had been charged with the drowning murder of his 56-year-old mother in the Harrybrooke River in New Milford last month. He entered the New Haven Correctional Center on June 6, and was transferred to the Garner Correctional Institution on June 15.

The exact manner and cause of death will be determined by the State Medical Examiner’s Office. The Department of Correction Security Division and the Connecticut State Police are investigating the death.