Pasco man dies in Walla Walla prison cell

A 25-year-old Pasco man was discovered dead in his cell at the Washington State Penitentiary.

Jose P. G. Contreras Gomez was pronounced dead at 8:58 p.m. Monday after he was found unresponsive at the Walla Walla prison.

The Pasco man had eight convictions as a juvenile and several as an adult, including one for an attack in Chiawana Park.

Gomez was serving a year and six months for first-degree burglary and second-degree assault convictions in Benton County, the Washington Department of Corrections said.

The department and the Washington State Penitentiary are conducting investigations into the death, said Allison Window, the penitentiary's public information officer.

An autopsy was conducted Thursday, said Walla Walla County Coroner Richard Greenwood. They are waiting for blood tests to come back before determining the cause of death.

There were no obvious wounds, officials said.

His family set up a GoFundMe campaign to cover the expenses for his funeral.

This story was originally published May 25, 2018 at 5:57 PM with the headline "Pasco man dies in Walla Walla prison cell."