This undated photo provided by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction shows David Johnson, who received an eight-year sentence for sexual battery. The Ross County, Ohio, Coroner's Office identified Johnson as the inmate fatally strangled Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017, while riding in a transport van to the Ross County Correctional Institution with other prisoners and guards, after Johnson had been taken to Columbus, Ohio, for medical treatment, according to Ross County Prosecutor Matthew Schmidt. (Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction via AP) (The Associated Press)
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio prisons agency has launched an internal investigation after an inmate was strangled while riding in a transport van with other prisoners and guards inside.
The Ross County Coroner's Office has identified the slain inmate as 61-year-old David Johnson.
Authorities say the killing happened Feb. 1. Johnson's body was discovered after the van arrived at the Ross County Correctional Institution in Chillicothe (chihl-ih-KAHTH'-ee) following a trip to Columbus for inmate medical care.
Prisons spokeswoman JoEllen Smith said Tuesday that a prison review team is looking both at the slaying and the agency's inmate transportation policies.
The Ross Country Prosecutor's Office has said guards apparently can't see inmates once they're loaded into the van.
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