Matthew Ponomarenko
Matthew Ponomarenko, of Parma, Ohio, died on December 7, 2025, at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient, Ohio. The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections said he died from an apparent suicide and that the official cause will be determined when the death certificate is received. Parma police also said he died by suicide. His family told 19 News he was not receiving the mental health treatment he needed in prison, and they wrote to a judge in July asking for mental health support for him while he was held. Before his death he had filed a court petition stating that he had a mental illness, and the court never ruled on it, according to 19 News.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (neglect alleged). The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections called it an apparent suicide, and his family says he was not receiving the mental health treatment he needed in prison.
Reported by: Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections (the agency that held him); Parma police; his family.