A man was found dead in a car in St Joseph Thursday, and authorities are not yet sure about the cause or manner of his death.

But for a few hours, emergency responders thought they might be dealing with a new kind of “chemical suicide.”

That fear prompted a full hazardous materials response to a wooded area near 36th and Beck Road behind the Eagle’s Lodge on the Belt Highway.

 

St Joseph Police Captain Janice Rothganger tells us chemical suicides are increasing in number across the United States.

Rothganger says an individual mixes two or more chemicals together in the same bucket, in an enclosed area, and are quickly overcome by fumes.

“The trouble for responders is that they can also be overcome by the fumes,” Rothganger said.

Crews from a regional haz-mat team suited up for that worst-case scenario, donning protective suits and breathing devices. They worked for hours taking and analyzing samples to make sure a green residue inside the car was not dangerous.

“This is not what we have trained for in the past, as far as a typical chemical suicide,” Rothganger said. “In other words, the types of chemicals we would normally see in a chemical suicide were not present.”

Five and a half hours later, authorities had cleared the scene and removed the body for an autopsy. The victim has not been formally identified, but Captain Rothganger says they expect to have a positive ID sometime Friday.

“At this point we can say that he did not die of natural causes,” Rothganger said. “The investigation will continue, and where that information leads us will help us determine whether this was a homicide, a suicide or an accidental death.”

“Until more information comes in from the coroner, we won’t know that.”