A murder suspect was discovered dead in his Peoria County Jail cell early Sunday morning.Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood said Michael Dyer, 59, died from asphyxiation after he hung himself.
Dyer, whose last known address was Decatur, had been jailed in Peoria County since Jan. 26. He was awaiting trial on first-degree murder charges in connection with the shooting death of Jeffrey Blevins, 49, of Peoria in January.
According to Peoria County court records, Dyer was scheduled for a jury trial on April 19.
Harwood said Dyer’s body was found hanging in his cell at 1 a.m. Sunday in the general population housing area. Dyer was pronounced dead at 1:15 a.m.
Harwood said there was no one else in the cell at the time of the incident.
Illinois State Police is handling the investigation.
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