CARSON CITY, MI. (THECOUNT) — Jonathan Adam Brancheau, 28, an inmate serving a lengthy sentence for first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a person under 13, was found unresponsive in his cell at the Carson City Correctional Facility, where authorities are investigating his death as a suspected homicide.
Michigan State Police and the Michigan Department of Corrections said prison staff discovered Brancheau unresponsive during a routine check. Life-saving measures were attempted, but he was pronounced deceased at the scene.
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Authorities have classified the investigation as a suspected homicide. The circumstances surrounding Brancheau’s death have not been released.
Brancheau had been incarcerated since 2019 after being convicted in Manistee County.
In 2022, Brancheau received an additional conviction for possession of weapons as a prisoner, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections.
The Michigan State Police Major Case Team is leading the investigation into the circumstances surrounding Brancheau’s death. The department’s internal affairs division is also assisting with the investigation which is focused on Brancheau’s 26-year-old cellmate.
An autopsy is expected to be conducted by the county medical examiner’s office. Authorities said additional information about the death is expected to be released as the investigation progresses and autopsy results become available.
The investigation remains active, and authorities have not publicly identified a suspect or released information regarding how Brancheau died.
Carson City is a community in Montcalm County in central Michigan, approximately 35 miles northeast of Lansing. The Carson City Correctional Facility is a Michigan Department of Corrections prison serving the state’s incarcerated population.
Google Maps: Carson City Correctional Facility, Carson City, Michigan
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