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67-year-old jail inmate died of heart attack

Authorities withhold identity while they search for kin
JERRY McBRIDE/Durango Herald file<br><br>A 67-year-old La Plata County Jail inmate found dead in his cell Sunday apparently suffered a fatal heart attack, county Coroner Jann Smith said Wednesday.

A 67-year-old La Plata County Jail inmate found dead in his cell Sunday apparently suffered a fatal heart attack, county Coroner Jann Smith said Wednesday.

Durango Police and La Plata County Sheriff’s Office have not been able to reach family, and they will not release the man’s identity.

“When this man checked into jail, he wrote that he had no family on the paperwork,” Sheriff’s Office spokesman Dan Bender said. “We’ve tried several avenues and haven’t come up with anything yet. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have some family out there.”

When deputies went to collect the man’s breakfast tray around 7:30 a.m. Sunday, the inmate was found unresponsive on the floor of his single cell.

Deputies, then medical personnel, performed life-saving before he was taken to Mercy Regional Medical Center, where he died.

Details of his sentence were not disclosed.

jpace@durangoherald.com