Death Of New Milford Inmate Under Investigation At Garner Correctional

NEW MILFORD, CT — The Connecticut Department of Correction is investigating the possible suicide of Eric Meagan, the New Milford man charged with the drowning murder of his 56-year-old mother in the Harrybrooke River last month. He entered the New Haven Correctional Center on June 6, and was transferred to the Garner Correctional Institution in Newtown on June 15.

At around 3:30 Monday afternoon, a Garner Correctional Institution staff member conducting a routine tour observed Meagan alone in his cell with a ligature tied to his neck, according to a statement from the state Correction Department.

Correctional and medical staff immediately initiated emergency and life-saving measures, officials said, and Meagan, 34, was taken to a local hospital. He was pronounced dead at 3:52 p.m.

The exact manner and cause of death will be determined by the State Medical Examiner’s Office. The Department of Correction Security Division and the Connecticut State Police are investigating the death.