The death of a Valley State Prison inmate, who was sent to the Madera County facility from Los Angeles County, was being investigated today as a possible homicide, officials said.
The 44-year-old man died on Thanksgiving morning in a dormitory at the Chowchilla facility, according to a prison statement. His name was withheld, pending notification of his relatives.
"(He) was found unresponsive in a dormitory," the prison statement said. "Life-saving measures were initiated and an ambulance was called to the scene, but the inmate was pronounced dead at 9:45 a.m.
"The deceased inmate was received by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from Los Angeles County in June 2015 and was serving a two-year, eight-month sentence for second-degree burglary and possession of a controlled substance," the statement said.
The eight-man dormitory was sealed as a crime scene and the inmates housed there at the time have been transferred to the Administrative Segregation Unit pending the results of the investigation.
The Madera County District Attorney's Office, Madera County Coroner's Office and CDCR Special Service Unit are assisting with the investigation.
Valley State Prison was established in 1995 and functions as a Level II, General Population institution housing inmates requiring Sensitive Needs Yard placement. The prison houses about 3,500 inmates and employs nearly 1,100 people.
