The three U.S. Marines found dead inside a parked vehicle at a North Carolina gas station on the weekend died from carbon monoxide poisoning, the Pender County Sheriff’s Office revealed Wednesday in a press release.
Autopsies were performed earlier in the day and the medical examiner determined all three deaths are consistent with carbon monoxide poisoning, authorities said, per ABC News.
The sheriff’s office did not say whether the deaths had been ruled to be accidental but said on Tuesday that such an event was probable.
The Marine Corps has identified the three lance corporals who were stationed at nearby Camp Lejeune, as Breitbart News reported.
Camp Lejeune identified the men as Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Merax C. Dockery, 23, from Pottawatomie, Oklahoma, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Ivan R. Garcia, 23, from Naples, Florida, and Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Tanner J. Kaltenberg, 19, from Madison, Wisconsin.
Garcia entered active duty in July 2019, Dockery in June 2020 and Kaltenberg in May 2021, according to the Marine Corps.
The main gate to the Camp Lejeune Marine Base outside Jacksonville, N.C., is shown on Friday, April 29, 2022. The Marine Corps has identified the three deceased lance corporals as being stationed there. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed)
All three U.S. Marines were motor vehicle operators, the sheriff’s office said.
“I am saddened by the timeless and tragic death of these three young men, who served our country honorably,” Pender County Sheriff Alan W. Cutler said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers remain with their families and colleagues during this time.”
The Pender County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident.
Sgt. Chester Ward of the Pender County Sheriff’s Office said the department had received a missing person report for one of the three Marines, but he declined to share details. No drugs were found in the vehicle, he said.
“We do not suspect anything as far as foul play in that matter,” Sgt. Chester Ward of the Pender County Sheriff’s Office previously told The Associated Press.