A Department of Correction captain and two correction officers have been suspended following the death of a detainee inside his Rikers Island cell early Saturday morning as investigators probe whether required checks were missed or if warning signs of medical distress went unnoticed, THE CITY has learned.

Ardit Billa, 29, was found dead inside his cell at approximately 12:25 a.m. during a standard cell-check tour at the jail complex’s George R. Vierno Center, the DOC announced over the weekend. Medical staff responded immediately, but Billa was pronounced dead just before 1:00 a.m., according to the department.

His sudden passing is the tenth confirmed death of a person in DOC custody so far this year. The department’s policy mandates visual inspection of all cell tiers and cells every 3

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