44-year-old woman found dead by suicide in Perryville prison cell

A woman incarcerated at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Perryville died by suicide on Monday, according to a statement from Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation & Reentry (ADCRR).

Prison staff found 44-year-old Teresa Hennessy unresponsive in her cell and conducted life-saving measures until paramedics arrived, the statement said. Hennessy could not be resuscitated and was pronounced dead by paramedics.

According to ADCRR, Hennessy was admitted into the prison in 2023 when she was sentenced in Maricopa County for aggravated assault, taking the identity of another person, and theft.

All inmate deaths are investigated in consultation with the county medical examiner’s office, the statement said.

Suicide deaths among Arizona's incarcerated population

At least 97 inmates have died by suicide since fiscal year 2010, according to the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry.

The number of suicide attempts in Arizona prisons for the 2022 fiscal year totaled 71, which was 19 more than the year before, according to data from the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry. The number of suicide deaths for the fiscal year among incarcerated people totaled 10, the data showed.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 44-year-old woman found dead by suicide in Perryville prison cell