The death of Anthony Myrie, a NY state prison inmate, has become a cause celebre -- with Cardi B and Meek Mill suggesting a cover-up -- which is forcing the prison to release new details about the mystery.
New York Department of Corrections spokesperson Thomas Mailey tells TMZ ... the death of Anthony Myrie on February 11 at the Greene Correctional Facility near Albany "appears to be consistent with sudden cardiac arrest."
Mailey says the prison typically doesn't provide facts about an ongoing investigation, but it's making an exception due to "the abundance of misinformation in circulation."
After news of Myrie's death came out ... Cardi and Meek both shared a message from Myrie's family, alleging prison guards may have been responsible for hurting him. They also accused prison officials of lying about where his body was being held to "buy time to cover this up."
According to Mailey ... Myrie was involved in a 3-on-1 fight with other inmates, but officers broke it up without using force. Mailey says Myrie was examined after the incident and the medical staff found no injuries.
However, Mailey says Myrie complained of chest pain shortly afterward while he was waiting to be interviewed by prison staff. When they took him back to the medical unit, he collapsed ... "unconscious and unresponsive."
He was given emergency medical services by the staff before being transferred to Albany Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
According to the prison's statement, preliminary autopsy results show he had no body trauma and "the cause of death appears to be consistent with sudden cardiac arrest."