Jail Inmate Dies in Apparent Suicide

An inmate in the Yakima County Jail was pronounced dead several hours after he was found unconscious in his cell Monday night.Douglas Kemp was found with a towel tied around his neck in an upper bunk in his fourth-floor cell. Officers performed CPR until medical staff arrived and took over. He was transported to a Yakima Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead Tuesday morning.

Kemp was in custody facing burglary, assault , attempted murder, assault and kidnapping. The Yakima County Sheriff’s Office is investigating. An autopsy has been set for Thursday. The Yakima County Department of Corrections is conducting an independent internal investigation.

At the time of the incident, Kemp was housed by himself in a cell on the fourth floor of the main jail. The unit where Kemp was housed requires cell checks every half an hour.

Officers say they conducted a routine check of Kemp's cell less than a half hour before he was found.