ATLANTA -- A manager's routine investigation into a late checkout has ended with one man dead and adjacent rooms evacuated according to Atlanta police.
The incident happened at the Super 8 Motel at 3701 Jonesboro Road around 11:41 a.m. According to police, the manager was checking out room 103 when he opened the door and noticed a white male slumped over and an unknown smell coming from inside.
He then noticed what appeared to be a suicide note near the door that mentioned poison gas. The manager called 911 and officers arrived to evacuate nearby rooms. Since then, a HAZMAT team has been called in to investigate the safety of the immediate area.
On Sunday, Atlanta Fire HAZMAT confirmed they found high concentrations of Hydrogen Cyanide inside the room. The CDC lists the agent as a "chemical asphyxiant" that interferes with the normal use of oxygen in the body which can be "rapidly fatal." It's unclear where and how the poisonous gas was obtained.
Police haven't released the name of the deceased man as their investigation continues.
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