Will County Jail Inmate Dies After Recent Hanging: Sheriff

JOLIET, IL — The Will County Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday that an inmate who tried to kill himself inside the Will County Adult Detention Facility last week has died at the AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet.

The sheriff's office said it was notified Tuesday afternoon, June 18, that the inmate had died. The sheriff's office has chosen not to reveal the inmate's name or where he lived.

"Per state statute, all in-custody inmate deaths must be turned over to an outside law enforcement agency for investigation. Sheriff's detectives initially took on the investigation, but following the inmate's death, the investigation will now be turned over to the Will/Grundy Major Crimes Task Force," Wednesday's press release stated.

The sheriff's office previously revealed that when a Will County Sheriff's corrections officer conducted a headcount of the cell pod at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 13, "he observed the inmate hanging by a bed sheet. The inmate was not breathing when the correctional deputy freed him. The correctional deputy immediately began CPR."

The Joliet Fire Department's paramedics were called to the downtown jail facility, and the inmate was rushed to St. Joe's hospital where he was initially classified as being in critical condition.

The inmate had been in custody during the previous four weeks, the sheriff's office stated. He was incarcerated on several felony charges, including home invasion, criminal trespass to land, criminal damage to property, aggravated domestic battery charges and violations of protection orders, authorities said.