Yale assistant professor found dead in jail cell

Police in New Haven, Conn., said Wednesday they were investigating the weekend death of a Yale University assistant professor in a city lockup. City police officer David Hartman said Samuel See, 34, was found unresponsive in his Union Avenue Detention Facility cell Sunday, the day after he was taken into custody following a domestic disturbance, and later was pronounced dead, the New Haven Register reported. His cause of death had not been determined. The assistant English professor, who the Ivy League school's website said was on leave this fall, had been arrested after an altercation with his husband at 5:15 p.m. Saturday, the Register said. The husband, whose name wasn't reported, allegedly had violated a protective order by going to the home where See lived to retrieve some belongings, the Register said. Police Chief Dean Esserman said Wednesday he had initiated an internal inquiry into See's death. "Whenever there is an untimely death, we initiate our own inquiry," Esserman said, adding the investigation could take weeks. Yale spokesman Thomas Conroy said the university community was "deeply saddened to learn of the death of Samuel See." "Our condolences go out to his family, faculty colleagues and students, and his friends at Yale and elsewhere," the school said in a statement. "We encourage anyone at Yale who needs comfort and support at this time of loss to reach out to friends in the community or to university resources that are available for consultation and counseling."