Tragedy struck in Michigan as authorities investigate the death of a United States Postal Service employee who was discovered lifeless inside a mail handling machine. The incident took place last week at a mail processing center in Allen Park.

The victim, identified as 36-year-old Nicholas Aker, was a maintenance worker at the facility. His body was discovered after his fiancée alerted authorities when he failed to return home from his shift. Reports indicate that Aker may have been deceased for six to eight hours before being found, according to sources from WDIV.

While police have described Aker’s death as “accidental,” the circumstances surrounding how he became trapped in the hefty machinery, designed to weigh and sort packages, remain unclear.

In a poignant revelation, Aker’s fiancée shared with WDIV that he had been employed at the USPS facility for roughly a year. Given the federal nature of the building where the incident occurred, federal authorities have taken the lead in investigating this tragic event, as reported by CBS.

[Feature Photo: WDIV]