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Jail staff found Jason Eckdahl, 26, of Tomah, Wis., unconscious and hanging by a bed sheet tied to an upper bed railing Jan. 31. He was pronounced dead at Franciscan Skemp Hospital in Sparta.
A preliminary autopsy attributed Eck-dahl’s death to ligature strangulation, said Monroe County Sheriff Dennis Pedersen. A complete autopsy report with toxicology results is pending.
Eckdahl and another man locked inside a cell were the only inmates in the block. Eckdahl was not locked in a cell, Pedersen said, and the investigation concluded there is “physically no way for a second person to be involved.”
“There’s really no other explanation other than suicide,” he said.
Eckdahl was serving a six-month sentence for theft. He was charged Jan. 25 with escape when he failed to return to the jail Jan. 19 after he was allowed to travel to his mother’s house in Tomah to pick up medications with someone he claimed was his brother-in-law, according to the criminal complaint filed in Monroe County Circuit Court.
He was arrested Jan. 28 after driving past a Wisconsin State Patrol trooper on Interstate 90 at 72 mph, according to the complaint. While the trooper waited to confirm the arrest warrant, Eckdahl fled in his vehicle but was caught when it spun into the median and got stuck in the snow, the complaint stated.
He was charged Jan. 29 with attempting to flee or elude a traffic officer and jailed on a $2,500 cash bond.
Another inmate told investigators Eckdahl said he did not plan to return to the jail after he was granted temporary release. Eckdahl said he would commit suicide, possibly by hanging, if caught, the inmate said.
The inmate stepped forward the day after the death because he “felt bad,” Pedersen said.
“It’s unfortunate we didn’t have that information before it (the death),” he said. “Had we known what the inmate knew, he (Eckdahl) would have been put on suicide watch.”
Eckdahl is seen on camera walking into his cell about 4 p.m. and was found hanging at 4:58 p.m., Pedersen said. Camera views do not extend inside the cell.
Jail staff is instructed to check on inmates every 45 minutes, Pedersen said.
“There does appear to be a question as to the time between cell checks,” he said.
The sheriff’s department and state jail inspector continue to investigate the case. When the investigations conclude, officials will discuss findings and determine whether an outside agency should conduct its own investigation.
Anne Jungen can be reached at (608) 791-8224 or ajungen@lacrossetribune.com.
