WASHINGTON COUNTY (KFSM) – A Washington County jail inmate committed suicide overnight after being held on suspicion of drug charges, the Sheriff’s Office announced Monday.
Washington County Detention Center employees on Monday morning found Jeremy Tyler Laconsello, 20, of Fort Smith, hanging from the top bunk of his cell with a towel wrapped around his neck, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
Laconsello was later pronounced dead by the county coroner after responding emergency crews checked his vitals, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Two inmates who shared the cell with Laconsello said they were asleep and did not notice anything throughout the night. The Sheriff’s Office is conducting an internal investigation to ensure all policies and procedures were followed in the incident.
Deputies check detainees at the jail every hour throughout the night, but did not notice anything out of the ordinary. During a jail check at 2 a.m., a detention officer noticed Laconsello moved from a laying position to a sitting position, but it appeared he was just resting or sleeping against the wall, the deputy said.
Laconsello was being held in jail on suspicion of possession of drug paraphernalia, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
