Vero Beach police identify man found dead in car parked off U.S. 1 in suspected overdose

Mary Helen Moore | Treasure Coast Newspapers

Show Caption Hide Caption Police investigate after man found dead inside vehicle Police said the man possibly overdosed.

VERO BEACH — Police have identified the man found dead in a car parked in a shopping plaza on U.S. 1 as Dennis Flynn.

Investigators said they believe Flynn, 36, of Vero Beach, died of an overdose, said Officer Megan DeWitt, spokeswoman for the Vero Beach Police Department.

An autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death, police said.

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Flynn was spotted unconscious in his car about 5 p.m. by people working at Healthway, a health food store in Indian River Plaza, 1555 U.S. 1.

The employees, who had been checking on the man throughout the day, called 911. Officers found him alone in the driver's seat of a red Chevrolet Monte Carlo that was not running.

Police and Indian River County Fire Rescue officials tried to revive him, but Flynn was pronounced dead at the scene.

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Dead body discovered in Vero Beach parking lot Police are investigating after a body was found in a car parked near shops off U.S. 1 in Vero Beach about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

DeWitt said investigators found aerosol cans inside his vehicle and believe he overdosed while huffing. The three cans were all Maxwell Blast Away, typically used for cleaning electronics.

When inhaled, such sprays can produced psychoactive, mind-altering effects.

The high typically lasts just a few minutes, but people often try to make it last longer by continuing to inhale again and again over several hours, according to the National Institute of Health.

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Flynn was found guilty in 2015 of inhalation of a chemical substance and disorderly conduct after someone spotted him huffing aerosol in a Vero Beach park, court records showed.

Flynn was unconscious and foaming at the mouth in Young Park, 1 Park Ave., when a bystander called 911, according to his arrest affidavit. The woman said she watched Flynn repeatedly inhale aerosol spray while pulling his shirt over his face.

Police found a can of computer spray hidden his bike basket. Flynn told officers he was inhaling aerosol because he had a doctor's appointment and was nervous, the affidavit said.

He was sentenced to 10 days in Indian River County Jail.

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