Hernandez's death officially ruled suicide by DA's office

Aaron Hernandez's death in prison has been officially ruled a suicide.

That determination comes from the district attorney's office in Worcester County, Massachusetts.

Authorities say investigators found three handwritten notes next to a Bible inside the maximum-security prison cell where the ex-NFL star was found hanging early Wednesday.

They said Thursday there was no sign of a struggle and that the former New England Patriots tight end was alone. Investigators say Hernandez, who was serving a life sentence for a 2013 murder, blocked access to his cell from the inside by jamming cardboard into the door tracks.

They say he was locked in his cell at about 8 p.m. and that no one entered until a guard saw him just after 3 a.m. and forced his way in to try to save Hernandez.