SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Authorities say they found nothing suspicious in the death of a Utah State Prison inmate who previously won a civil lawsuit after being raped in 2001 by a corrections officer.
Unified Police Detective Levi Hughes tells The Associated Press investigators found no indication why 29-year-old Priscilla Elizabeth Chavez died in her cell Friday. Her body was sent to the state medical examiner.
The woman's family says they believe Chavez was a victim of neglect or retaliation in prison. Her mother says she had medical and mental-health problems, was being heavily medicated and had heart trouble just weeks ago.
The Ogden woman was awarded $1.4 million against the prison guard in February 2010, but the judgment was apparently never paid. The Salt Lake Tribune reports the Utah Department of Corrections settled the case for $25,000.
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