NEWPORT, Wash. — A Newport man who murdered his mother last February was found dead in his cell at the Pend Oreille County Jail, according to a release from the sheriff's office.
29-year-old Jacob Mitchell was arrested in February 2022 after he reportedly called the police and admitted to killing his mother. He pleaded guilty to the murder of his mother on March 30, 2023, and was found dead in his jail cell six days later.
Mitchell was set to be sentenced for the murder on May 4, 2023.
According to the Newport Police Department (NPD), officers and the Pend Oreille County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of a fatal shooting near South Fea Avenue in Newport on Feb. 6, 2022. The caller, later identified as Mitchell, allegedly told police he has killed his mother.
Once officers arrived, they located a woman at the home and began administering life-saving aid until they were relieved by medical personnel. The woman, who was later identified as 64-year-old Carolyn Thompson-Mitchell of Newport, was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.
Mitchell was taken into custody without incident on Feb. 6, 2022. He was booked into the Pend Oreille County Jail for second-degree murder that night.
According to the Pend Oreille County Sheriff's Office, Mitchell, who was the only person in the jail cell, was found unresponsive on Wednesday. Medical staff tried to revive him but were not able to do so.
An investigation into the cause and manner of his death is ongoing.
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