MONROE — State corrections officials say they plan to review the circumstances leading up to the discovery of a dead inmate inside his cell at the Washington State Reformatory.
Jerry Jamison, 48, died of natural causes, according to the Snohomish County Medical Examiner. Police didn’t find anything suspicious about the former Everett man’s death.
Some corrections officers raised questions about how long Jamison had been dead before he was discovered Sept. 21. He was found lying on his bunk with mail on his chest, Monroe police spokeswoman Debbie Willis said. Corrections officers told Monroe police that mail had been delivered the previous evening around 8:30 p.m.
There was inaccurate speculation that he’d been deceased for multiple days before his death was discovered, said Chad Lewis, a spokesman for the state Department of Corrections.
Jamison was seen on Sept. 19. He didn’t have to work or go to any programs the next two days.
“Essentially it was his weekend and he wasn’t required to be out of his cell,” Lewis said.
Corrections officials plan to conduct a critical incident review because Jamison’s death was unexpected, Lewis said. The investigation likely will examine whether Jamison was overlooked during routine inmate counts.
Jamison was serving time for drug crimes, eluding police and bail jumping.
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