FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – Indiana State Police say an inmate at the Allen County Jail died on Wednesday. The man, Keimar Butler, had been an inmate since July 22, 2024, and was being held in solitary confinement.
When officers found him he was reportedly hanging from a bed sheet. The Allen County Coroner later confirmed that his death was by suicide (report follows below).
The Indiana State Police released the following on Thursday:
On Wednesday August 21, 2024, at approximately 7:00pm, the Allen County Sheriff requested a detective from Indiana State Police respond to the Allen County Jail for an inmate death.
The inmate would be identified as Keimar Butler, 28, from Fort Wayne, IN.
The ISP Investigation found that Butler had been incarcerated in the Allen County jail since July 22, 2024. He was housed in solitary confinement in W-Block, which is a disciplinary unit. Yesterday at 6:31pm jail staff noticed that the window on Butler’s cell door was covered. The jailer entered the cell to remove the window covering and found Butler unresponsive and hanging by a bed sheet from the bed frame. Jail staff attempted CPR to resuscitate Butler. Emergency medical personnel were immediately called to assist. Butler was transported out of the jail by ambulance to Lutheran Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
Prior to the cell check at 6:31pm, the previous check of Butler’s cell was at 5:00pm. Nothing was noted out of the ordinary at that time.
An autopsy is scheduled for later this morning at the Northeast Indiana Forensic Center here in Fort Wayne. Detectives do not suspect anything other than this being a suicide, as Butler was housed alone, and jail video does not show anyone else entering the cell between the jail staff checks noted above.
Butler’s family has been notified.
There is no further information to release at this time.
The Indiana State Police is assisted by the Allen County Sheriff’s Department and the Allen County Coroner’s Office in this investigation .
The Allen County Coroner released the following:
On August 21, 2024, at about 20:00 hours the Allen County Coroner’s Office was notified of a death investigation from the Allen County Jail, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The patient had been transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
An autopsy has been completed and notification has been made to the next of kin of Keimar Lovell Butler, male, Black, 28 years of age, from Fort Wayne, Indiana.
The Cause of Death is Asphyxia due to Hanging, and the Manner of Death is Suicide.
The incident remains under investigation by the Allen County Sheriff’s Department, the Indiana State Police, the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Allen County Coroner’s Office.
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