NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WPRI) — A Massachusetts man suspected of killing his mother on Cape Cod over the weekend has died of an apparent suicide, according to the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office.
Correctional officers found Adam Howe, 34, unresponsive around 3 p.m. Sunday. He was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Howe was alone in his cell at the time of the incident, wearing inmate clothing designed specifically for at-risk prisoners and was also on random 15-minute spot checks, according to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office.
No foul play is suspected and the medical examiner will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
Friday night, authotiries responding to a well-being check and a separate report of a fire in Truro, Massachusetts, found Howe standing in the front yard of a home next to a fire that officials soon discovered was a burning body.
Police said the body was identified as his mother, 70-year-old Susan Howe.
The Cape and Island District Attorney told the Boston Globe his office tried unsuccessfully to have Howe placed at Bridgewater State Hospital for a mental health evaluation following his arrest.
“Out of respect for the family, we have no additional comment or details. That family has been through a lot this weekend; please keep them in your prayers,” a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said.
The incident remains under investigation.