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Michael James Owens was found unresponsive lying in bed in his prison cell by staff during a routine check around 10 a.m. January 4 — the day after his birthday, officials explained and court records show.
Officials released the following statement about his death reading in part as follows:
"Prison staff conducted CPR, utilized an AED and called 911. Lancaster City Fire personnel and EMS personnel arrived and conducted lifesaving efforts on the inmate, but the inmate remained unresponsive and was pronounced deceased shortly thereafter."
Officials originally went on to note that his cause of death is unclear, and there are no "outward indications" of the cause, so, like with all inmate deaths, city police and the county coroner's office will investigate.
On Friday morning Lancaster Chief Deputy Coroner Eric Bieber announced that his cause of death was natural, due to "Myocardial Infarction due to Atherosclerotic Cardio Vascular Disease." That same afternoon, the Lancaster City Bureau of Police announced it had concluded its investigation into Owens death, stating "After careful examination, it has been determined that the cause of death was attributed to natural causes."
Owens repeatedly pleaded guilty to driving under the influence — in Oct. 2001, Sept 2013, and again in Sept. 2023, court records show. While the case for the most recent offense was pending, he failed to appear in court, and a bench warrant was issued — which he also failed to report for, so he was arrested and held in the prison since March 28, 2023, even though he didn't plead guilty for six more months.
Details about his life were not immediately available beyond what was noted on court dockets, which stated he lived in Ronks, PA at one point but was originally from Frankford, Delaware.
Editor's Note: This article has been updated to include Owens's cause and manner of death.
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