A psychiatrist found dead in a Center City hotel room Monday afternoon may have been participating in a sexual act when he died, law enforcement sources tell NBC10.
The 75-year-old, who hasn't been publicly identified, was found face up with a cloth or belt wrapped tightly around his neck in a room at the Roadway Inn at 1208 Walnut Street, according to Philadelphia Police.
Sources said the very successful doctor may have been engaging in auto-erotic asphyxiation when he died. The act consists of constricting your airway to deprive the brain of oxygen and produce a more intense and euphoric feeling during masturbation.
The exact cause of death will not be known, however, until the medical examiner performs an autopsy.
Homicide detectives are still investigating the case as a suspicious death.
The man leaves behind a spouse, according to sources.
