Tompkins County Jail Inmate Found Dead

An inmate in the Tompkins County jail was found dead in his cell Wednesday morning. 32-year-old Travis Yavits, of Ithaca, was less than twelve hours into a 60-day sentence for larceny conviction when he was found during a routine cell inspection around 3:30 Wednesday morning. Police are saying that Yavits’ death does not appear to be suspicious, with no signs of foul-play, but the official cause of his death remains under investigation. The Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office says that the Onondaga County Medical Examiner’s Office is providing assistance with the investigation, and tests could take several weeks before determining a cause of death.