The Indiana County coroner's office will conduct an autopsy this morning on the body of a man whose friends found him dead yesterday in their White Township hotel room.

Jeffrey Burkett, 33, of Aultman, whose body was discovered about 11 a.m. at the Scott Motel, asked his friends late Thursday if he could sleep in their room because he had been drinking heavily and didn't want to drive home, Coroner Michael Baker said.

His friends called 911 when they couldn't awaken him. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Drugs and alcohol likely played a role in Mr. Burkett's death, the coroner's office said.

State police in Indiana are also investigating.