Dubuque County jail inmate found hanged

DUBUQUE - The Dubuque County Sheriff's Office is investigating the apparent suicide of an inmate in the county jail.

A jailer discovered the body of Chad J. Koelker, 37, hanging in his cell about 2 p.m. Saturday, according to sheriff's Capt. Gregory Egan. Efforts by jail staff and Dubuque Fire Department paramedics to revive Koelker were unsuccessful.

Koelker, of Dubuque, had been in jail since Oct. 30 on an escape charge, four Iowa probation violations, an Illinois larceny charge, and a Wisconsin probation violation. He was alone in a two-man cell in the jail's new addition, Egan said.

The investigation into Koelker's death is conducted by the sheriff's office and the Dubuque County and state medical examiners. His body has been transported to the State Medical Examiner's Office for determination of the cause and manor of his death.