John Manard, inmate whose escape from Kansas prison in a dog crate inspired a movie, dies at age 45

An inmate whose escape from a Kansas prison hidden in a dog crate became the subject of a book and TV movie has died behind bars.

John Manard, who was 45, died Sunday at the La Palma Correctional Facility, a private prison in Eloy, Arizona, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections. His cause of death is pending the result of an autopsy, department spokesperson Jennifer King said.

Manard was serving a life sentence for a suburban Kansas City killing at a prison in Lansing, Kansas, when he met Toby Young, a married mother of two who worked helping prisoners train animals for adoption. They struck up a romantic relationship.