Coroner Releases ID of Inmate Who Died at Bucks County Correctional Facility

Tom Sofield | LevittownNow.com•

A Bucks County Coroner’s Office vehicle. File photo.

The inmate who died at the Bucks County Correctional Facility earlier this week was identified on Friday.

Bucks County Coroner Meredith Buck identified the man as Edward Hatch, 46, of Philadelphia.

He was found unresponsive in his cell early Monday morning, officials said.

"The autopsy performed on December 19, 2023 showed no overt evidence of external trauma, and the cause and manner of his death remains under investigation by the Bucks County Coroner’s Office,” Buck said.

The coroner said she takes the "in-custody death very seriously and does an independent investigation to determine the cause and manner of death.”

The death at the Bucks County Correctional Facility in Doylestown Township happened early Monday morning, according to a statement from the county.

Bucks County Department of Corrections staff began lifesaving measures after Hatch was discovered unresponsive, officials said.

Hatch, according to court papers, had previous run-ins with authorities in the lower and central parts of the county.

The investigation into the man’s death is being handled by the Bucks County Detectives and the Bucks County Department of Corrections Investigations Unit.

In 2023, there were two inmate deaths and one last month.

Bucks County has reported seven inmate suicides, one homicide, and eight medical-related or accidental deaths at the correctional facility, according to Pennsylvania Department of Correction’s extraordinary occurrence statistics and this news organization’s tally dating back to 2015. The numbers don’t include the most recent deaths.

The county correctional facility reported in September having 703 inmates in-house and 139 in community corrections, according to public records.