OKEECHOBEE COUNTY, Fla. — An inmate awaiting trial on possession of weapon/ammunition by a convicted felon died at the Okeechobee County Detention Facility on Sunday morning, two days after she was booked.
During an inmate check/county, Helen Dykes, 48, "was found in a severe state of distress from an attempt to take her own life," Okeechobee Sheriff's Office spokesman Jack Nash said in a news release.
Life-saving attempts — cardiopulmonary resuscitation and using an automated external defibrillator — by detention deputies were made but failed, and she was pronounced deceased by EMS personnel.
The medical examiner was called in, and the case will remain open until their office classifies a cause of death.
"Our prayers go out to the family and friends of Ms. Dykes," Nash said.