In early July, a Supai man was found dead in the Coconino County Detention Center in what authorities say was a suicide, despite him not being placed on suicide watch, according to a news release from the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.
Falcon Watahomigie, 43, was awaiting his initial court appearance on July 2 when he was found unresponsive in his cell, the Sheriff’s Office said.
At about 7:50 a.m., detention officers called out to Watahomigie, but received no response. He was found unresponsive in his cell, lying on his side with his jumpsuit tied around his neck, according to the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.
Officers began performing CPR while medical staff were called for assistance. Emergency responders arrived shortly after, but Watahomigie was pronounced dead at 8:21 a.m., the Sheriff’s Office said.
Watahomigie was taken into custody on July 1 by the Arizona Department of Public Safety on an outstanding misdemeanor warrant related to a failure to appear in a domestic violence assault case. His bond was set at $2,100, according to the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office. He was photographed and fingerprinted before being placed alone in a cell, where he was later found dead.
Watahomigie had not been placed on a suicide watch prior to his death, the Sheriff’s Office said. An investigation remained ongoing, but authorities reported that no foul play was suspected.
“it appears that he died by apparent suicide,” read the Sheriff’s Office news release.
Supai is located on the Havasupai Indian Reservation.
Recent deaths behind bars in Arizona
Three years ago, Clayton James Thornburg, 36, from Phoenix, died by suicide in the same facility, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release.
There were five prison inmate suicides in Arizona in a 23-day period between December 2023 and January 2024, according to the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry.
Rey Covarrubias Jr. reports breaking news for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Email him at: rcovarrubias@gannett.com, and connect with him on Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter) at @ReyCJrAZ.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What we know about a man found dead in northern Arizona jail