Escapee found dead in motel

A prison inmate was found dead in a Reno motel room Monday morning after he was reported as a walk-away from a minimum-security facility.

Gregory Smith, information officer for the Nevada Department of Corrections, said Eric Fowler, 32, failed to report to work Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and was entered as an escapee from the Northern Nevada Restitution Center about 11:15 p.m. that evening.

The NNRC houses approximately 95 male inmates who have no history of violent or sex-related crimes and are within one year of probable parole release or expiration. The program offers an opportunity for inmates to establish employment in the community to prepare themselves for release, address court-ordered fees and fines and meet restitution obligations.

Fowler was serving a sentence of 19 to 48 months on a charge of possession of a controlled substance out of Mineral County.

Smith said Fowler's cause of death was not immediately known. The Reno Police Department has the investigation.