Authorities discovered a dead body in the trunk of a car after a man fatally shot himself during a traffic stop, Maine officials said on Thursday. Police stopped the vehicle with Massachusetts license plates after receiving reports of erratic driving.
Maine State Police said in a statement that officers stopped a vehicle on Timberwood Drive in Gardiner, Maine, around 4:45 p.m. after getting a call about erratic driving on Interstate 295. The vehicle was described as a blue Subaru with Massachusetts license plates.
"The operator, a man, immediately got out of the vehicle and shot himself resulting in his death," authorities said in the statement.
After the shooting, investigators found a body in the trunk of the car. The cause of death for the body found in the trunk was unknown, NECN reported.
The two bodies were transported to the State Medical Examiner's Office in Augusta for autopsies. The identities of the two bodies have not been released. Authorities said the investigation is ongoing.
"There is no ongoing threat to the public," Maine State Police added in its statement.
State and Gardiner Police blocked off part of Timberwood Drive on Thursday during their investigation, The Kennebec Journal reported. An evidence response team arrived at the scene around 6:30 p.m. At around 9 p.m., a Gardiner Fire Department engine arrived to clean up the scene, the newspaper added.
Maine State Police did not immediately respond to Newsweek's request for comment.
According to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in April, Maine's suicide rate is higher than the national average and it is rising. The New England state reported 226 suicides in 2016, a rate of 16.97 suicides per 100,000 residents, according to the Portland Press Herald.
While there were slightly fewer suicides in the state in 2016 than in the previous year, the CDC found that suicides among 15- to 24-year-olds rose. The Portland Press Herald noted that rural states, including Maine, tend to have higher suicide rates than more urban states.
If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours, every day.
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