This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Investigators are looking into the suspicious death of an inmate at the Central Utah Correctional Facility.
The 62-year-old prison inmate was found dead in his cell at the prison in Gunnison on Saturday, shortly before 9 a.m., according to a news release from the Utah Department of Corrections.
The Department of Corrections, the Sanpete County Sheriff's Office and the Gunnison Police Department are investigating the death, which they are treating as suspicious. Steve Gehkre, prison spokesman, could not elaborate on why.
The man did have a cell mate, though Gehkre could not comment on whether he's considered a suspect.
The inmate had been serving time for drug distribution and theft convictions since January 2011. The state is withholding his name until it has notified his next of kin.
The man's body is now with the medical examiner, who will perform an autopsy.
The prison, at 255 E. 300 North, has two housing facilities, with the capacity for 1,500 male prisoners between them. He was housed in the maximum security unit, called Hickory.
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