3 Georgia police officers sickened after encountering dead body in motel room
Three Georgia police officers were released from the hospital Sunday after being sickened by chemical fumes when they encountered a dead body in a motel room, officials said.
Officials were called to the United Inn & Suites in Decatur just after 4 p.m. Saturday about a dead body in a room on the third floor, FOX5 Atlanta reported. Three Dekalb County police officers entered the room and reported feeling dizzy and nauseous after coming in contact with the chemical that had killed a 48-year-old man in the room.
"Something in there made the officers sick," Fire Capt. Eric Jackson said on Saturday.
The FBI responded to the scene and identified Sunday the chemical found in the room as a mix of household cleaners.
“Other than a combination of household cleaning solutions, no other harmful substances have been identified at this time,” police told Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The officers were taken to the hospital and were said to be conscious and alert Saturday night.
Hotel guests near the contaminated room were evacuated shortly after the incident as a precaution.
"The police were telling us to leave," one guest told FOX5. "We've been out of our room for three hours... What was really the cause?"
HAZMAT crews arrived at the scene and took samples of the substance.
An autopsy will be conducted to determine the man’s cause of death, which is not being treated as a homicide.
Police did not release his name as of Sunday, and it’s unclear if the man was exposed to the substance accidentally or on purpose.