According to the Chatham County Police Department, the evidence suggests that the individual who was discovered dead under a vehicle had been unlawfully removing the part when the vehicle fell on him.
"Chatham County Police Department detectives believe an accidental death that occurred on Tuesday at a local business was the result of an attempted catalytic converter theft," the police department noted in a Facebook post.
"Chatham County Police Department officers were called to Prestige Auto Sales at 4513 Ogeechee Road around 9:15 a.m. on March 7, 2023, after a deceased adult male was found under a vehicle in the car lot. Evidence at the scene indicates that the man was killed while he was illegally removing a catalytic converter from the vehicle, and the vehicle fell on top of him. The deceased was identified as 32-year-old Matthew Eric Smith," the post states. "In 2022, 39 catalytic converters were stolen in 24 separate incidents in unincorporated Chatham County."