VERNAL, Utah, Dec. 19, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — Officials said the death of a female inmate at the Uintah County Jail “appears to be self-inflicted.”
A news release said 20-year-old Julia Keebler, of Jensen, Utah was found unresponsive in her cell Tuesday at the Uintah County Sheriff’s Office’s Correctional Facility in Vernal.
The statement, from the Uintah County Sheriff’s Office, said Keebler had just returned to her cell from a court hearing and was discovered a short time later by correctional staff.
She was transported to an area hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 5:30 p.m.
“The investigation into the cause of death is ongoing, but it appears to be self-inflicted,” the news release said.
The official cause of death will be determined by the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner.
She had been held in the jail for five days at the time of her death.
A probable cause statement from Vernal’s 8th District Court said Keebler was arrested Dec. 12 for second-degree felony theft of a firearm or operable vehicle and third-degree felony obstruction of justice.
Keebler allegedly stole a Yamaha ATV Grizzly 660 and the signed title to the ATV on Dec. 11, the statement said, and she was charged with obstruction of justice because she would not tell investigators where the ATV was.
The investigation into Keebler’s death is being conducted by the Wasatch Back Major Crimes Taskforce, comprised of agents from the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office, the Heber City Police Department, the Park City Police Department and the Utah Attorney General’s Office.
Gephardt Daily does not usually report on suicides or suicide attempts unless they occur in public places or otherwise impact a community.
