The body of a man who had been dead for at least two weeks was found this week in a motel bathroom, and the cause of death remains unknown.

On Aug. 14 at about 7 p.m. the remains were found in a Motel 6 bathroom. The motel, located at 1776 Burning Tree Dr. in the Columbia area of Lexington County, has been permanently closed since March 1, according to the Lexington County Coroner's Office.

The former motel is located off St. Andrews Road near the Interstate 26 interchange, between the town limits of Irmo and the city limits of Columbia.

The website Columbia Closings noted the closure of the Motel 6 in January, writing, “This Motel 6 on the Interstate frontage at Saint Andrews Road has closed for the revamping of that stretch of I-26. It looks like they are already having homeless, or at least vandalism, problems.”

According to a provided Lexington County Sheriff’s Department incident report, a 38-year-old man was wandering the motel looking for his girlfriend when he found the John Doe on the third floor. The report states that the body was leaning up against the door and that officers were unable to get it open until Lexington County Fire Services arrived on scene.

A Facebook post from the coroner's office states that the man appeared to have been in the bathroom for two to three weeks and that due to the condition of the body, his age is unknown.

An autopsy, conducted at MUSC in Charleston on Aug. 16, found no apparent injuries, but the cause of death remains up in the air as the office waits for toxicology results.

“We do have further information regarding this John Doe male,” the coroner's office posted. “[Probably] white male, 6’ 0” tall, wearing grey and white Adidas athletic shoes with white soles, no socks, long hair that could be brown or greyish in color that could possibly have been pulled back in a hair tie. Facial hair that appears long and unkept. Teeth are in poor repair with decay, but front teeth are intact. T-shirt has a Batman symbol on the front with skulls and a photo is included.”

The coroner’s office continues to investigate, as does the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.