Yesterday morning, the Amherst Police Department responded to the Rolling Green Apartments in Amherst at approximately 9:04 a.m. and found the body of a 21-year-old male University of Massachusetts student in a four-door black sedan parked in the complex’s lot.

The APD has identified the UMass student as Jason Miner, a psychology major from Spencer, Mass. This was Miner’s first semester at UMass, having transferred from Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester, according to a faculty member in the psychology department.

Residents of the complex smelled a strange odor coming from the vehicle, and officers at the scene investigated the contents of the car and were made “aware that potentially hazardous materials were present in the car.”

Officials found hydrogen sulfide on the scene – an extremely toxic chemical that can be created with household products and is commonly used for suicide.

“Investigators do not believe that this death is suspicious,” the release said.

The Department of Fire Service Hazardous Material Response and the Amherst Police and Fire Departments were on the scene until around 2:30 p.m. Residents and visitors were not allowed to use the entrances or exits of the complex while officials were on the scene.

According to the release, a joint investigation is continuing between the Northwestern District Attorney’s office and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

–Collegian News Staff

Updated on Nov. 10, 2010 at 3:04 p.m.