WILKES-BARRE — The death of a female Luzerne County prison inmate last week has been ruled a suicide, county Coroner William Lisman said Monday.
Inmate Brooke Griesing, 23, of Hazleton, was found unresponsive at the prison around 9 p.m. Thursday and pronounced dead at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital at 9:46 p.m., prison officials said.
Lisman said an autopsy concluded Griesing died of asphyxia due to hanging.
Prison officials immediately notified the county District Attorney’s Office, which has been conducting an investigation.
County Correctional Division Head Mark Rockovich said Monday he believes the last suicide death at the prison was several years ago. Prison officials have protocol to detect and safeguard inmates suspected of contemplating suicide, including segregation in a separate cell and increased monitoring, he said.
Rockovich believes all protocols were followed in this case, but he will examine what happened to determine if any procedural changes are warranted.
“We do everything we can to prevent suicides,” Rockovich said.
Griesing was at the prison after being unable to post bail following her arrest June 6 for theft, receiving stolen property, drug possession and a summary traffic offense, court records show. She was due in court Wednesday for a preliminary hearing.
