The Riley County Police Department says an investigation is underway following the death of an inmate confined at the Riley County Jail this weekend.
Corrections Officers located 38-year-old Laura Pearce unresponsive in her cell just before 8:30 a.m. Saturday. According to an RCPD news release, officers immediately began lifesaving measures. Riley County EMS was dispatched and arrived a short time later. After lifesaving measures were continued by paramedics, Pearce was pronounced dead.
RCPD says there is no evidence of foul play. The cause of death is believed to be suicide.
Pearce had been extradited to the Riley County Jail March 25, following her arrest in Marion County, Ohio on a Dec. 7 Riley County District Court warrant for aggravated interference with parental custody.
In a statement, RCPD Director Brian Peete offered condolences to Pearce’s family and friends and noted the department is actively working with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, which per statute, will lead a full investigation of the death.
