Police are treating the death of a man at Mt Eden Corrections Facility as a homicide, it has confirmed.
Police said it was made aware at around 4pm that a man had died at the prison.
Detective inspector Greg Brand said officers “continue to follow positive lines of inquiry”.
Earlier today, Dion Paki, general manager at Mt Eden Corrections Facility said police had notified the man’s next of kin.
He said the prisoner was in a double-bunked cell, and his cellmate had been moved to a single cell.
“We would like to express our sincere condolences to everyone impacted at this difficult time.
“We acknowledge this will be distressing for staff and other prisoners in the unit, and we are providing people with support, including access to Chaplains and cultural support where requested.”
The man’s death had been referred to the Coroner. An investigation by the independent Corrections Inspectorate would also be carried out.
Mt Eden Corrections Facility is main reception prison for newly remanded male prisoners in the Auckland region. It had a total population of 1318 as of March 31, according to the Department of Corrections.
