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Man dies at Marion County Jail in apparent suicide, deputies say

A man died at the Marion County Jail Wednesday morning from what deputies believe was a suicide.

Marion County Sheriff’s deputies around 6 a.m. found Kenneth William Peden III, 21, unconscious in his cell “after an apparent suicide attempt,” a Wednesday news release said.

Deputies and medical staff at the jail applied CPR and used a defibrillator to try to resuscitate Peden, and they called additional emergency personnel from the Salem Fire Department and Falck Ambulance to the scene. 

Peden was later pronounced dead at the jail.

The sheriff’s office, following its own policy, asked the Linn County Sheriff’s Office to investigate the death along with the Marion County District Attorney’s Office and Medical Examiner.

On May 20, a Marion County grand jury indicted Peden on charges of killing a teen and found two Silverton police officers and a Marion County deputy were justified in shooting at him on May 12 after an alleged kidnapping and ensuing police chase.

The charges alleged Peden kidnapped and killed 17-year-old Molly “Ollie” Taylor and shot 22-year-old Arik Reed, of Gervais.

Peden was being held at the jail on charges of first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, fleeing or attempting to elude police and four counts of first-degree attempted murder.

-Ardeshir Tabrizian