Montgomery County inmate found dead in jail cell

An inmate died in the Montgomery County Jail early Monday from undetermined causes, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s and Coroner’s offices.

Dillon Abplanalp, 28, was found unresponsive at 4:17 a.m. and could not be revived by Dayton Fire Department EMS crews. He was pronounced dead a short time later by the county coroner, said Maj. Matt Haines, the jail administrator.

Haines said Abplanalp was discovered by a corrections officer during an inmate count and wellness check. The officer called for a supervisor and medical personnel, he said.

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The Montgomery County Coroner’s office conducted an autopsy Monday, but a cause and manner of death were not yet determined, a spokesman said. Toxicology results are also pending.

During the last six years, at least five other inmates have died in the jail or in a hospital shortly after being removed from the jail, according to Daily News records.

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Haines said Abplanalp’s death did not appear to be caused by drugs smuggled into the jail, a constant threat that led the jail to recently install a full-body scanner that will soon become operational.

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“I have no reason at this time to believe it was an overdose,” Haines said. “It appears to have been a medical emergency. There may have been multiple factors.”

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Abplanalp was confined in a cell by himself on the first floor, making it unlikely another inmate had a role in the death, Haines said.

“There was nothing in there to make it look like a suspicious death,” he said.

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