PALMYRA — State police and Somerset County Sheriff’s Office deputies are investigating the death of a man whose body apparently had been in a room at Lovley’s Motel, just off U.S. Route 2, for a significant amount of time.

Somerset County Sheriff’s Deputy Toby Blodgett responded to the motel at 9 a.m. Wednesday to conduct a welfare check at the request of motel staff, according to a press release issued just after 3 p.m. by Somerset Chief Deputy James Ross.

“The report was that a man and woman had been renting a room for several months and that the man had not been seen for an extended period of time,” the release said. “It was also reported that the woman was exhibiting unusual behavior. When Dep. Blodgett gained access to the room he was immediately able to determine the man had been deceased for a significant amount of time.”

Blodgett notified the State Police Major Crimes Unit, per protocol, and members responded because of the unusual circumstances, according to Ross.

The dead man is 62 and from Cheshire, Connecticut, the release said.

“At this time the death is not believed to be suspicious, but Sheriff’s Deputies and State Police Detectives continue to investigate, and an autopsy will be conducted today by the Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the exact cause of death,” it says.

At the scene Wednesday, a Northern Light Sebasticook Valley Hospital ambulance arrived at 10:48 a.m. and helped a woman in a pink top and light-colored cap into the ambulance. She was crying. The woman had been sitting in the front seat of a state trooper’s car as officials worked at the scene. The ambulance left at 10:56 a.m.

Ross said later, in his press release, that she was taken to Sebasticook Valley Hospital to be evaluated.

Reached by cellphone at 11:40 a.m. as officials worked at the scene, Somerset County Sheriff Dale Lancaster said the case was being treated as a death investigation and that more information would be released later in the day.

Scott Lovley, one of the motel owners, said in the motel office just after 11 a.m. that police had not yet told him anything about what happened in room 6 of the motel. He said he knew the woman was in the state police car.

“I knew she was upset,” Lovley said.

As he spoke, two law enforcement officers entered the office to speak with him.

Several state police vehicles, both marked and unmarked, were parked outside the motel’s room 6 during the morning hours. Somerset County Sheriff’s pickup trucks also were at the scene, and officials were talking with each other.

The long motel with a brick facade is situated in a busy area between U.S. Route 2 and Interstate 95 known as The Triangle, about 30 miles north of Waterville. Snow banks surround the hotel’s parking lot.

People staying at the hotel wandered in and out of rooms, whose doors open to the outside. Some peered out of doors to watch the goings-on. One man said he was staying at the hotel but had no idea why police were there.

Amy Calder — 861-9247
acalder@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @AmyCalder17