A Toledo, Ohio man who was accused of killing his estranged wife was found dead in his jail cell on Saturday night according to the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office, and reported by 13ABC.
John D. Eichner pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife, whose body was found buried in a Toledo backyard in April. Eichner was charged with aggravated murder, murder, abuse of a corpse, 11 counts of tampering with evidence, 10 counts of possession of criminal tools, and 4 counts of money laundering.
He had pleaded not guilty to the charges by reason of insanity and was being held in the Ottawa County Jail after his bail was set at $1.5 million.
Deputies found 43-year-old John D. Eichner in his jail cell on the floor with a noose tied around his neck while performing nightly security checks at 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to a press release from authorities.
Once the deputies found Eichner, they called Port Clinton EMS, who attempted lifesaving efforts on the scene. Paramedics took him to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The deputy who found him filed a report saying that he did not see Eichner's chest moving when he went to his cell.
"After checking for breathing it seemed as though I could hear shallow breaths," the report read. "I looked into his throat and could not see any obstructions. Briefly, I tried to alert him with a few shakes and a chest rub. With no response, I checked for a pulse and breathing again. I could not confirm either and started chest compressions."
At a nearby hospital, Eichner was pronounced dead at 12:45 a.m. Sunday morning, after chest compressions from the paramedics and deputies failed when they found his body.
Amber Eichner, Eichner's estranged wife, had been missing for two weeks when her body was found, and Eichner was arrested in connection to her death. The police had received a tip that Eichner asked to bury a dead dog in a friend's backyard.
The Lucas County Coroner's office determined that Amber had been strangled to death.
Eichner was also reportedly charged with endangering children after he reportedly left their four children in Tennessee, authorities said. He was not allowed to have any contact or communication with the victim's family after a court order. This included his children.
