An Atwater inmate found unresponsive has died, officials say
.JPG "The United States Penitentiary in Atwater sign from an undated photo.")
A prisoner at U.S. Penitentiary in Atwater was pronounced dead Tuesday, a day after being found unresponsive in his cell, according to prison officials.
Thomas Douglas Smith was discovered in his cell at about 7 a.m. Monday and staff began life-saving measures, officials said in a news release.
The 41-year-old was transferred to a local hospital for treatment and was pronounced dead at 5 a.m. Tuesday by hospital staff, the news release said.
The cause of his death will be determined by an autopsy, staff said, noting the FBI was notified of Smith's death.
Smith's next of kin has also been notified, according to prison officials.
Smith arrived at USP Atwater on Nov. 20, 2014, and was serving a sentence of 94 months for being a felon in possession of ammunition, according to the news release.
USP Atwater is a high-security facility that houses 1,100 men.
This story was originally published March 20, 2018 at 12:46 PM with the headline "An Atwater inmate found unresponsive has died, officials say."