BINGHAM — The Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit cordoned off an area around Baker Street on Sunday after the body of a Massachusetts man was found in a driveway early Sunday morning.

Lt. Christopher Coleman said on Sunday afternoon that the death of the middle-aged man was not considered suspicious.

Coleman said the man, whose name was not released, had been staying with his girlfriend in Bingham for about two weeks.

The man had attended a gathering in town Saturday night and Coleman said the man had left alone on foot late in the evening.

Coleman said it appeared the man cut through a snow-covered path leading from U.S. Route 201 to Baker Street on the way to his girlfriend’s house.

He said that a resident in the neighborhood, where the homes are clustered close together, looked out a window, saw a man lying in a driveway, and called police.

The Somerset County Sheriff’s Department arrived on scene, as did an ambulance crew, said Coleman.

The man, said Coleman, was not wearing his jacket.

The jacket was found near the body, which is common in instances of hypothermia, he said.

Hypothermia occurs when a person’s body loses heat faster than it can produce it, resulting in a dangerously low body temperature.

The heart, nervous system and other organs don’t function properly and, according to the Mayo Clinic website, people can become clumsy and confused and make poor decisions, including removing their clothing.

The Maine State Police lieutenant said the Major Crimes Unit was called in to make sure foul play was not involved.

Coleman said personnel from the Medical Examiner’s Office responded to the scene and that an autopsy would be completed.

Beth Staples — 861-9252
bstaples@centralmaine.com

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