Death of Will County Jail inmate remains under investigation

A 78-year-old inmate from Crest Hill died Friday night at the Will County Jail.

An autopsy conducted Saturday indicated the man died of a medical emergency, the Will County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. However, the final manner of death won’t be determined until the results of further testing and toxicology results are completed in six to eight weeks, the sheriff’s office said.

The inmate’s identity is being withheld until the family is notified, the sheriff’s office said. The inmate had been incarcerated at the jail since early July, according to the sheriff’s office.

At approximately 11:44 p.m. Friday, sheriff’s deputies responded to the jail to escort an inmate to a local hospital after staff in the jail’s medical unit found him unresponsive, the sheriff’s office said.

Sheriff’s office personnel performed life-saving measures until Joliet Fire Emergency Medical Services arrived and took over. The inmate continued showing no signs of life and died at the scene, the sheriff’s office said.

The Will/Grundy Major Crimes Task Force is investigating the death.

The investigation is ongoing and being conducted in cooperation with the sheriff’s office, the Will County Coroner’s Office, the Will County States Attorney’s Office, and “various other local law enforcement agencies,” according to the sheriff’s office.