Fresno County inmate dies in cell at Tehachapi prison

An inmate from Fresno County found dead in his cell at a state prison on Feb. 12 may be a homicide victim, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said.

Miguel J. Alejo, 46, was found unresponsive in his cell around 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 12 at the California Correctional Institution, a state prison near Tehachapi.

Prison staff performed lifesaving measures and called an ambulance, the department said. Alejo was pronounced dead around 1:40 p.m.

Alejo arrived in prison in April 2011 from Fresno County to serve a six-year sentence for robbery and burglary.

Prison officials named 35-year-old Thomas E. Santiago, who was Alejo’s cellmate, as a suspect.

Santiago has been placed in the Administrative Segregation Unit pending an investigation by the prison, the Kern County Coroner and the Kern County District Attorney, the prison system said.

This story was originally published February 16, 2016 at 7:44 PM with the headline "Fresno County inmate dies in cell at Tehachapi prison."