A 26-year-old male inmate was found dead in the LaPorte County Jail.

At was around 8:10 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 20, a routine cell check was completed by a jail deputy, according to a news release from the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department.

At approximately 8:30 p.m. another cell check was being completed by a jail supervisor and discovered the inmate, the sheriff’s department reported.

The jail supervisor immediately began to render aid and resuscitation efforts.

Minutes later, members of the LaPorte County Emergency Medical Services arrived and determined the inmate was dead, the sheriff’s department reported.

The LaPorte County Coroner’s Office was contacted as well as members of the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau.

The cause of death was determined to be asphyxiation by the means of suicide. The circumstances of this event are being treated as an ongoing and fluid investigation by the members of the Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau.