Benton County inmate’s autopsy shows no sign of physical trauma

An autopsy performed Saturday on a 40-year-old man who died Wednesday in the Benton County jail showed no sign of physical trauma.

Steven Flaten had been found unresponsive in his cell just after 5:30 p.m.

Medical staff and corrections officers tried to care for Flaten, but he was declared dead shortly after being found, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office said.

The inmate, who had been in custody since June 6, was suffering from an undisclosed medical condition that led corrections officers to check on him every 30 minutes.

The autopsy was done by Dr. Sig Menchel, a forensic pathologist from Bellevue.

Chief Deputy Coroner Roy McLean said tissue and toxicology samples now will be analyzed, which will take about eight weeks.

That should give investigators the cause and manner of Flaten’s death.

Sheriff Steve Keane has asked the Tri-City Special Investigations Unit to look into the incident.

This story was originally published June 11, 2016 at 4:16 PM with the headline "Benton County inmate’s autopsy shows no sign of physical trauma."