Rikers Island inmate found dead, 12th death this year: sources

Rikers Island Detainee found dead in shower on Monday. It was the 12th such death at the Department of Correction in this year’s history, jailhouse sources exclusively confirmed to The Post.

The unidentified inmate – a rape suspect in his late 60s – was found in a shower with a sheet around his neck just before 6 a.m., dead from an apparent suicide, sources and the FDNY said.

The Post was told by The FDNY that it tried to revive the inmate after he suffered cardiac arrest and was unconscious. But he was declared dead at the scene.

He was only in Rikers when he entered, and was currently in the much-maligned Eric M. Taylor Center. It houses new admissions. said.

The center has been accused of squalid conditions and an alarming lack of staff – and one jailhouse source questioned if there had been an officer on duty at the time of the latest death.

“How long were they in the shower without them noticing?” the source asked. “Was there an officer on post?”

This is the third suicide attempt or confirmation this year. It also marks the 12th death in custody, an increase of 50% compared to the eight fatalities last year. Records show.

In 2021, there were six suicides among 16 in-custody deaths – the most since 2016 and more than 2019 and 2020 combined.

For confidential and free crisis counseling, call 1-888 NYC-WELL if you have suicidal thoughts and/or are in a mental crisis. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.