Indiana U. spokesman Larry MacIntyre confirmed there was a death in Willkie Quad.

As of press time Tuesday night, the University could not release the name of the deceased until the next of kin are notified, said IU Police Department Interim Chief of Police Jerry Minger.

IUPD, Bloomington Township Fire Department and Bloomington Hospital responded to a call of a possible suicide at Willkie Quad North Tower on the third floor at 2:22 p.m. Tuesday.

After arriving at the scene and opening the room’s door, which had been barricaded from the inside, IUPD saw a closet door with a note indicating hazardous hydrogen sulfide was within, Minger said.

Emergency responders with hazardous materials equipment opened the closet, at which time a body was found, along with a bucket believed to contain hydrogen sulfide, Minger said. The toxic chemical can be made from “common household and construction materials,” and is lethal when inhaled.

At about 7 p.m., Willkie staff brought the third floor residents into the conference room for a meeting.

“They told us the guy was dead for seven to 10 days and that he died from a chemical substance abuse,” junior Ted Enberg said.

Enberg was allowed to return to the floor briefly.

“I just kept thinking that I had been breathing this in and out for days,” he said.

The deceased’s suitemate noticed an odor on April 4 and filed a maintenance request. A maintenance member responded the following day and suggested the smell might be coming from the trees. When the smell did not dissipate, the suitemate contacted the front desk again.

Ellen Hacker,Willkie center secretary and Doug Yeskie, Willkie residence manager  noticed the smell was stronger near the bathroom. The suitemate said he mentioned that he had not seen his suitemate recently.

“I know my suitemate isn’t here, maybe it’s his trash or his refrigerator is broken,” the suitemate said.

Plumbers were called to evaluate the pipes, but after checking the plumbing, Hacker told the suitemate Monday they were “going in another direction.”

Hacker and other staff members returned to the floor Tuesday around 2 p.m. and tried to enter the room, but could not enter through the hallway or the bathroom doors.

“They were talking loudly outside my door,” Enberg said. “They said, ‘There’s an attempted suicide. Call IU Police Department.’”

Tests conducted by the hazardous materials team did not indicate any hazardous material in the air, Minger said. Individuals on the floor and leaving the building were questioned and did not report any effects such as headaches or nausea.

Minger said officers did not find a suicide note. He added that the individual had not been seen by Willkie residents recently. Officers will check the individual’s e-mail account for more information.

Willkie North Residential Leadership Specialist Nick Lewis said residents were allowed to re-enter the building Tuesday night. Residents on the third floor were able to return to their rooms to gather any material they might need and were provided temporary housing for the night.

Unlike other residence halls, Willkie does not have residential assistants on each floor. Each floor has a president who sets up events and moderates problems that might arise. Floor presidents do not conduct rounds on a nightly basis.

If there is a problem, students can approach floor presidents who contact RLS. Staff members do not typically seek out students on a regular basis, Lewis said.