A man was found dead inside a guest room at an Aurora airport hotel early Tuesday, prompting a lengthy police investigation that stretched into the afternoon.
Aurora police say officers were called shortly after 6 a.m. to the Hilton Garden Inn near East 40th Avenue and Peña Boulevard for a report of an unconscious person. When officers reached the room, they found a man who was not breathing. He was pronounced dead at the scene, and investigators remained at the hotel for hours as they worked the case. Authorities say an autopsy will be needed to determine the official cause of death.
Police Confirm Active Death Investigation
In a post on X, the Aurora Police Department said officers were dispatched after the early morning call and found the man unresponsive in his room. The department noted that investigators are waiting on autopsy results before confirming an official cause of death and added, “Our thoughts are with those who are impacted by this loss.” Police have not released the man’s name, citing the need to notify next of kin and await the coroner’s findings.
Hotel Sits Just South of Denver International Airport
The investigation centers on the Hilton Garden Inn Denver Airport, which lists its address as 16475 E. 40th Cir, Aurora, and sits near Peña Boulevard just south of Denver International Airport, according to Hilton. The property is part of the Gateway Park cluster of airport hotels and logistics businesses near RTD’s A Line Gateway Park station, which serves the airport commuter rail line. The nearby Gateway Park stop appears on the airport route detailed in RTD materials.
Autopsy, Toxicology and the Long Wait for Answers
Officials say the cause and manner of death will not be known until after a full post-mortem exam and toxicology testing, which are handled through the county coroner’s office and can take days or even weeks, depending on what is required. A 2023 overview by CPR News describes how Colorado’s decentralized coroner system operates and how local jurisdictions process death investigations from the initial police response through final determinations. For now, Aurora police are treating the incident as a death investigation and have not released additional details.
