SAN MARCOS (CNS) - An autopsy was pending Saturday on a possible suicide victim found in a car where chemicals apparently had been mixed to produce a toxic gas.
The body was reported in a car parked along Elfin Forest Road near Camino Cielo Azul about 2 p.m. Friday, sheriff's Lt. Mike Munsey said.
A hazardous-materials crew was sent to clean up the chemical residue.
The body was turned over to the county Medical Examiner's Office, where the person's identity will be confirmed and a pathologist will attempt to determine the cause of death.
In recent years, people have committed suicide by mixing household cleaners or other products -- a fungicide and a toilet bowl cleaner were used in a suicide in Pasadena in August 2008 -- to produce hydrogen sulfide gas, which smells like rotten eggs and can be deadly in high concentrations.
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SAN MARCOS (CNS) - A passer-by found a body Friday in a car parked on a rural road near Harmony Grove.
The discovery along Elfin Forest Road, near Camino Cielo Azul and just outside the city limits of San Marcos, was reported shortly before 2 p.m., sheriff's Lt. Mike Munsey said.
Deputies confirmed the death, then called in hazardous-materials personnel to investigate a strong chemical smell of unknown origin surrounding the vehicle, according to Munsey.
Homicide detectives were apprised of the situation but declined to go to the scene, due to a lack of suspicious circumstances. The county Medical Examiner's Office will retrieve the unidentified body after the haz-mat workers determine the source of the caustic fumes and give an all-clear, the lieutenant said.
The patrol personnel who first responded to the 911 call reported that the death appeared to be a possible suicide.
The gender and approximate age of the decedent were not immediately clear.
