Death in Middlebury Park Ruled a Suicide

The death of a man in Middlebury’s Bristol Park earlier this week has been deemed a suicide by local police.

An autopsy was completed Thursday by the Office of the State’s Chief Medical Examiner that identified the 53-year-old male police say last lived in Georgia. The name of the deceased was not released, as officers are still working to notify the next of kin. 

A positive identification of the man was made through two methods, recognition through scars and marks, as well as fingerprint identification, according to police.

A combination of chemicals was found at the scene, which authorities determined were either Hydrogen Sulfide Gas or Hydrogen Cyanide Gas. 

“Committing suicide by using poisonous gas has been a problem across the country causing many injuries to first responders and law enforcement, also this method has caused environmental issues,” said Richard Wildman, Middlebury Acting Police Chief.