A man at the Wildwood Correctional Complex died by apparent suicide Tuesday afternoon, though his death is still under investigation.
According to a State Trooper dispatch, 30-year-old Walter Shade of Soldotna was arrested and sent to Wildwood Pre-Trial Facility on September 1 for stealing $3,000 worth of tires from a store earlier this summer.
Department of Corrections spokesperson Corey Allen-Young said Shade was found unresponsive in the shower around noon yesterday. Medical staff and first responders could not resuscitate him. The exact details of his death are under investigation by the department, the Medical Examiner’s Office, and the State Troopers.
Allen-Young said Shade was not under any extra supervision. He does not know if Shade was under suicide watch, undergoing any ongoing medical treatment, or experiencing a diagnosed mental illness.
This is the ninth in-custody death this year. 40-year-old Joel Titus died at the Fairbanks Correctional Center on September 3 while taking medication for alcohol detoxification.
Anne Hillman is the healthy communities editor at Alaska Public Media and a host of Hometown, Alaska. Reach her at ahillman@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Anne here.
