Man Found Dead at Local Motel

A man was found dead at a local motel Friday afternoon.

Effingham Police responded to a report of an unresponsive man in Room 17 at the Abe Lincoln Motel at 1108 West Edgar Avenue at 3:45pm. The man was identified as Jackie Marler, 61, of Effingham.

The Effingham County Coroner's Office was called to the scene. The city police department Patrol and Criminal Investigations Unit assisted at the scene.

Marler's body was taken to the HSHS St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital morgue while the Coroner's Office contacted the next of kin who were in Kentucky and Tennessee. Family members arrived in Effingham on Saturday morning.

A preliminary investigation indicated Marler died due to natural causes. 

The incident remains under investigation by the Coroner's Office.