CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - The death of a Franklin County Prison inmate found hanging in his cell early Sunday has been ruled a suicide by County Coroner Jeffrey R. Conner.
Conner said the cause of death was suicide by hanging following a Monday autopsy at Lehigh Valley Medical Center in Allentown, Pa.
The 45-year-old Chambersburg man was discovered with a bed sheet tied around his neck at 1:48 a.m., 28 minutes after the last time his cell was checked, according to Warden John Wetzel. He was in a cell with another inmate in what Wetzel called a special needs wing for prisoners with diagnosed mental illnesses or who pose a threat to themselves or others.
The man was not on a suicide watch, but the eight cells in the wing are checked every 30 minutes, Wetzel said.
