Adam Howe was found dead Sunday afternoon in a New Bedford jail cell, days after allegedly killing his own mother. A 34-year-old Massachusetts man was found dead inside his jail cell after allegedly stuffing wet toilet paper down his throat, days after police had detained him for the murder of his own mother.
Adam Howe was found dead just before 5:15 p.m. on Sunday at the Ash Street Jail in New Bedford, where he had been taken after being arrested on Friday. According to authorities, he had previously expressed suicidal thoughts.
Howe was taken into custody for the murder of Susan Howe, his mother, who was 69 years old, according to a statement from the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office.
According to the statement, authorities had been asked to inquire about Susan’s well-being. Additionally, they got a different report about a fire.
“Emergency personnel responded to a location in Truro at approximately 9:30 p.m. Friday night,” the statement reads. “Upon arrival, they encountered a male subject outside the house and a fire on the front lawn.”
According to the statement, “emergency personnel realized that it was a body that was burning” on the lawn, and watched as “the male subject ran into the house and locked the door” behind him.
A SWAT team was sent to break into the house and pull Howe.
“Howe, experiencing difficulty breathing, was transported to Cape Cod Hospital, arriving there at approximately 12:30 a.m. Saturday morning,” the statement continues. “He was shackled to a gurney after being examined and being watched by hospital personnel with eyes on him at all times.
In the room also were Massachusetts State Police and security personnel from the hospital. The hospital wanted to have him discharged as soon as practical and efforts were made to contact a secure facility to take him.”
Howe was moved to the Ash Street jail. In his discharge papers, Howe stated that he had “suicidal ideation” while being treated at the hospital.