Man dies in Marion County Jail; investigation underway
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Police are investigating the death of a man who appeared to have taken his own life Monday night in the Marion County Jail.
Jail deputies around 9:47 p.m. Monday found 43-year-old Michael Aston unresponsive and not breathing. The deputies began rendering aid to him and called for on-site medical staff and Indianapolis Emergency Medical Services, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.
Aston was pronounced dead at 10:09 p.m. Preliminary information indicates Aston’s death was a suicide by hanging. The sheriff’s office said Aston was not housed in the suicide housing unit because “he didn’t present with suicidal ideations at or after booking.”
Medical authorities said Aston was going through substance abuse withdrawal at the time of his death, the sheriff’s office said.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and the Forensics Services Agency are investigating Aston’s death, as is standard procedure. An internal investigation at the sheriff’s office is also underway. The Marion County Coroner’s Office will determine Aston’s cause of death.
Aston had been in jail custody since July 18 on charges that included unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon; intimidation where a firearm is used or drawn; domestic battery with a prior conviction; unlawful possession of a firearm by a domestic batterer and cruelty to an animal, the sheriff’s office said.
Community members with loved ones in the Marion County jail system should call 317-327-1461 if they are concerned an inmate might harm themselves, the sheriff’s office said.
Mental health resources
- Be Well Indiana
- Indiana Suicide Prevention
- Indiana Department of Child Services’ Children’s Mental Health Initiative
- National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988 or 800-273-8255
- More resources