Corradino inmate died of heart failure

An autopsy has revealed that 29-year-old Stephen Spiteri, found dead in his prison cell on Wednesday morning, suffered heart failure after his lungs filled with water.

The police are still awaiting the results of toxicology tests that would indicate the presence of drugs, among other substances, sources said. This could shed more light on what led to the young man’s sudden death.

Mr Spiteri was found on his cell bed, at the Corradino Correctional Facility, with his body covered, as normal, with a blanket, as if he died in his sleep.

The sources said the cause of death had been determined as pulmonary oedema that led to heart failure. This means his heart stopped after his lungs filled with water. This is not common in young people but could be the side effect of a history of drug addiction.

Prison sources have ruled out foul play and said a drug overdose was not being suspected. This was because Mr Spiteri was not found frothing at the mouth – which was usually the case in overdoses – and even though he had a history of drug addiction, he was about to complete a course of methadone (heroin treatment) and it was therefore unlikely he would have been taking any other drugs.

Mr Spiteri, originally from Fgura, was serving a four-and-a-half year jail term for aggravated theft and was being kept in a cell alone in Division 11, considered one of the newest and most comfortable blocks in Corradino.

The inmate, who had a son, had an extensive criminal record and a number of pending court cases.