Yale Professor Found Dead in His New Haven Jail Cell
Samuel See, 34, an assistant professor of English and American studies at Yale University, was pronounced dead after he was found unresponsive in his cell at a New Haven detention center on Sunday. See had been arrested Saturday for violating a protective order and fighting with police officers when they were called to his home on a domestic dispute complaint.
According to police, they received a complaint of a domestic dispute early Saturday evening. Police officers arrived to a residence and found Saunder Ganglani, See's husband, retrieving his belongings at the home both men shared. Because both men had protective orders against each other, both See and Ganglani were arrested.
Police said See then became very upset, telling officers he shouldn't be arrested for violating a protective order at his own home. He fought against the cops as they tried to handcuff him. As See was led to a police car, the arrest report states that he yelled to one of the arresting officers, "I will kill you ... I will destroy you."
See was first transported to the hospital with a cut above his eye and was later taken to a cell at the Union Avenue Detention Facility. According to police, he was alert the night of the arrest but was found dead early the next morning. See is not believed to have committed suicide.
His death is currently under investigation and the New Haven Register reports that the chief state medical examiner's office said the "cause of death is pending further studies."
This weekend's incident was not See's first brush with the law. The professor, currently on leave from the university, was due in court next week to enter a plea for an incident in September in which he was arrested for assault and breach of peace.
Yale spokesman Tom Conroy released this statement Wednesday afternoon:
The University community is 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. 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 (University Chaplain, Yale Mental Health and Counseling for students, and Magellan Health Services for staff). Mr. See was an assistant professor of English and American Studies who had been on leave during the current semester.
