A prison inmate in Connecticut hanged himself behind bars, and officials say he did it with the very face mask they provided him to fight off COVID-19.

32-year-old Daniel Ocasio was found dead Wednesday at the Corrigan-Radgowski Correctional Center in Montville, with a ligature tied around his neck. That ligature was from the cloth mask issued to every inmate to prevent the spread of coronavirus from inside.

The Connecticut DOC says he was discovered in his cell around 5 AM, after which life-saving measures were administered … before he was transferred to a hospital and later pronounced dead. The Medical Examiner’s Office there ruled his death to be a suicide by hanging.

Ocasio had been at the prison since August 5 on a 3rd-degree burglary charge … held on a $10,000 bond. Usually, paying 10% of that amount up front will get someone sprung.

The DOC says it’s conducting an investigation into Ocasio’s death. Also of note, upwards of 1,300 inmates in their system have tested positive for COVID-19 … at least 7 have died.