Maryland man found dead inside tent erected in Delaware motel room
An employee at the Days Inn in Newark checked in on Matthew Ornstein, 34, of Chevy Chase Saturday afternoon and discovered him unresponsive. Police said he put the tent on top of his bed and surrounded himself with propane canisters for light.
BY JOEL LANDAU
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Sunday, January 4, 2015, 1:35 PM
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TEPTONG/GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTOA Maryland man mysteriously died inside a tent he erected in a Delaware motel room.
Delaware police are investigating a bizarre death in which a 34-year-old Maryland man was found dead in a tent he erected on top of the bed in his motel room.
Matthew Ornstein, 34, of Chevy Chase, was found unresponsive in his room at the Days Inn in Newark at 2:30 p.m. Saturday by an employee who was checking in on his welfare, police said.
Ornstein was lying inside a tent he built inside the room and surrounded with propane canisters. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
An autopsy is being conducted to determine the cause of death. Police said it does not appear to be suspicious and foul play is not suspected.
Cpl. Jeffrey Hale of the Delaware State Police told the Daily News Sunday there is no update on the case and an autopsy will be scheduled for later this week.
It is unknown why Ornstein built the tent inside the room, Hale said, but police report the propane tanks were being used as a lighting source inside the tent.
