ST. JOHNSBURY, Vt. — A prisoner died Sunday at the Northeast Correctional Complex in St. Johnsbury. Officials said the death appeared to be a suicide.

Officials said Michael Dupont, 36, of Barre City was found in his cell by prison staff members at 3:15 Sunday afternoon. Other correctional and medical staff members quickly began lifesaving efforts and called for outside medical assistance, they said. Emergency medical services arrived and also tried to revive Dupont, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The Vermont Department of Corrections says it is conducting an internal review to find out exactly what happened.

The official cause of death will be determined by the Vermont State Medical Examiner, but the corrections department said it appears to be death by suicide. Dupont was found with a sheet wrapped around his neck, officials said at a press conference Monday afternoon.

Dupont was arraigned on Dec. 17 on five counts: burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, unlawful mischief, providing false information to police, and two counts of violating conditions of release from an earlier case. Earlier, he’d been charged twice in Washington County with driving under the influence, and with violating conditions of his release.

The corrections department notified Vermont State Police and the Prisoners’ Rights Office, following state law and protocol; the two organizations will conduct separate investigations into the death, and the corrections department will conduct its own administrative and medical reviews.

State police said there is no evidence of foul play.

The prison staffers who found Dupont, unconscious and unresponsive, attempted to revive him on site. Commissioner Jim Baker said those staff members have been placed on leave because of the associated trauma.

Dupont arrived at the prison on Dec. 17 and was placed in intake quarantine, under the prison’s COVID-19 mitigation protocols.

Baker said protocol is for new arrivals to be tested for the coronavirus upon arrival, and then on days seven and 12 of their 14-day quarantines. During that time, Baker said, it is department protocol for staff to check on inmates every 30 minutes. Baker said that, so far, they believe Dupont was checked on according to that protocol.

However, in the wake of Dupont’s death, Baker said he’s asked staff to shorten that interval to every 15 minutes.

Mental health staff check in on inmates in quarantine “on a regular basis,” Baker said, and they’re provided tablets, paper, pens and other devices to help occupy their time. He said Defender General Matt Valerio will take another look at the quarantine process from a mental health perspective.

“But we’re well aware of the challenges around the mental health piece as a result of people being in quarantine and being by themselves,” Baker said.

Baker said he wasn’t aware that Dupont had any mental health issues before his incarceration.

Corrections officials said this is the second suicide attempt this year; the first, in July, at the facility in Newport, Vt., was not fatal.