LAFAYETTE — No foul play is suspected after two inmates at the Tippecanoe County Jail died hours apart on Saturday.
The Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Office says Isaiah Powe, 42, was found unresponsive in his cell mid-Saturday morning. Powe later died at St. Elizabeth Hospital.
Later in the day, correction officers found Bonny Ahlrich, 56, dead in the holding area of the jail.
Both Powe and Ahlrich were homeless when they were booked into the Tippecanoe County Jail, according to the sheriff's office. No foul play is suspected in either death and they do not appear to be related.
Autopsies have been scheduled for Monday.
Following the two deaths, the Tippecanoe County Jail reached out to other nearby departments to borrow K-9s to sweep the jail facility and search for any narcotics.
K-9s from Lafayette, West Lafayette, Purdue University and Tippecanoe County assisted in the search. No narcotics were located.
"The death of any individual is a traumatic event under any circumstance. It effects their family and their friends. In a situation like we experienced on 1-12-2019, this not only effects the family and friends of the deceased, it also effects our entire staff. Our staff did an outstanding job of responding to and remaining poised throughout each situation. Our medical staff had a mental health counselor come to our department to be available for the inmates affected by these events and Dr. Will Miller met with our correctional officers that were affected by these incidents."
The Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Office asks anyone with information about their investigation to contact them at 1-800-78 CRIME
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