A 49-year-old Athens man may have given his 3-year-old a fatal overdose before committing suicide last month, police say.

Mark Coronado killed his daughter in a room at the Hampton Inn on West Broad Street in Athens, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.

Hotel staff found the bodies after forcing their way into the room Dec. 23.

The deaths have been ruled a murder-suicide and officials will know more about the manner of the girl’s death when toxicology results come in, Athens-Clarke County police spokesman Epifanio Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez could not say whether an injection or other manner of overdose was suspected.

Both bodies were brought to the GBI lab in Atlanta for autopsies.

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Julian Conley listens during opening statements in his trial at Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. The 25-year-old is accused of fatally shooting 8-year-old Secoriea Turner in July 2020. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com