The Major Investigation Assistance Team is investigating the death of a 56-year-old man who was found unresponsive in a holding cell at the Island Lake Police Department.
Rollie Mapa, 56, of Island Lake, was arrested on December 14 and transported to the Island Lake Police Department, located at 3720 Greenleaf Avenue.
Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that Mapa was found unresponsive in a holding cell on December 14.
Paramedics with the Wauconda Fire District responded and transported the man to Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington.
Mapa was put on life support in the intensive care unit of the hospital but later pronounced dead after doctors removed him from life support, Banek said.
A preliminary autopsy showed that Mapa died by suicide from asphyxiation, Banek said.
The McHenry County Major Investigation Assistance Team, which is made up of several police department investigators that respond to major incidents, was called to investigate the death.
Ryan Sciame, the commander of the McHenry County Major Investigation Assistance Team, said that the team has completed their investigation but he did not offer any details on it.
Sciame said that the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office is reviewing the team’s report.
It is unclear why the McHenry County Major Investigation Assistance Team was called to investigate and not the Lake County Major Crime Task Force despite that the death occurred in Lake County.
The Island Lake Police Department has not publicly released any information and has not responded to Lake and McHenry County Scanner’s request for comment.