Prison spokesperson, Linda Moodry, said Bar Jonah was overweight and suffered from diabetes. She said one of his legs was amputated due to the disease, and he refused to take his medicine regularly. Initial reports said there was nothing found in Bar Jonah's cell that suggested foul play or suicide.

"His body will be taken to the state crime lab in Missoula and they will conduct an autopsy and that will be performed, Moodry said. "And then we will know officially. We also have the Department Of Corrections investigators working with Powell County Sheriffs on that situation as well."

Bar Jonah was serving 130 years for kidnapping and sexual assault. In 2000, police also charged him with murder in the 1996 disappearance of 10-year-old Zach Ramsay. Authorities said Bar Jonah butchered the boy, cooked his body, and served it to neighbors. They dismissed the case when Ramsay's mother said she would testify that she believed her son was still alive.