WEST FELICIANA PARISH, La. (BRPROUD) – The Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections says a Louisiana State Penitentiary inmate is dead after he was found unresponsive in his cell Friday morning.
According to public safety officials, Tyler Ashpaugh, 28, was found in his cell around 6:40 a.m. as a corrections officer was making routine rounds. After Ashpaugh failed to respond, the staff opened the cell and Ashpaugh was sent to the infirmary where he was later pronounced dead.
Ashpaugh pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2018 for his alleged involvement in a murder-for-hire plot, according to court documents.
Ashpaugh was requested to be housed as a pretrial inmate since September 2015, according to the DPSC. Officials added that Ashpaugh was originally held at Dixon Correctional Institute until January 12, 2021, but was transferred.
An investigation has been launched into his death. No other details were released.