Death of Central Valley prison inmate is investigated as a possible homicide

The death of a Valley State Prison inmate is being investigated as a possible homicide, officials said Monday. The 44-year-old man, whose name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin, was found unresponsive on Thanksgiving morning in a dormitory at the Chowchilla facility, according to a prison statement. "Life-saving measures were initiated and an ambulance was called to the scene, but the inmate was pronounced dead at 9:45 a.m.," the statement read. Officials are awaiting an autopsy to determine the cause of death, said Lt. Ronald Ladd, a public information officer with the prison. The inmate was received by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from Los Angeles County in June 2015 and was serving a two-year, eight-month sentence for second-degree burglary and possession of a controlled substance, officials said.