The bodies of three Marines were discovered in a car at a petrol station in Hampstead, North Carolina on Sunday, triggering an investigation into the circumstances surrounding their deaths after no weapons, illegal narcotics, or signs of an attack were discovered.
On Tuesday night, investigators were still trying to piece together the sequence of events leading up to the deaths of the Marines and rule out other possible causes, such as carbon monoxide poisoning. On Wednesday night, police were planning to disclose their findings from the autopsy.
According to Sergeant Chester Ward of the Pender County Sheriff’s Office, “it seemed like it was more like an accidental death” on Tuesday. The sergeant stated that it did not appear that the vehicle operators assigned to Camp Lejeune had committed suicide.
The tweet below verifies the news:
Three Marines were found dead on Sunday inside a car parked at a gas station in North Carolina, the authorities said. The causes of death were still under investigation, and autopsy results were expected to be released by Wednesday evening. https://t.co/cW8cxeCmxE
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 26, 2023
The three Marine lance corporals killed were identified as Tanner J. Kaltenberg, 19, from Madison, Wisconsin; Merax C. Dockery, 23, from Pottawatomie, Oklahoma; and Ivan R. Garcia, 23, from Naples, Florida, by the Second Marine Logistics Group.
After receiving a report of a missing person at 9 a.m. on Sunday, officers located the bodies of three males inside a Lexus automobile parked beside a Speedway convenience station in Hampstead, North Carolina, roughly an hour’s drive from Camp Lejeune, according to a Facebook post from the sheriff’s office.
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“There does not appear to have ever been any threat to members of the community,” the sheriff’s office said. Lance Corporal Dockery’s mom, Heather, said in a brief phone conversation on Tuesday that her son “was a great kid, and I’m very proud of him.”
Second Marine Logistics Group Commanding General Brig. Gen. Michael E. McWilliams issued a statement expressing his “deepest sympathy and condolences” to the soldiers’ families, friends, and coworkers.
“Our focus is providing the necessary resources and support to those impacted by their tragic loss as they navigate this extremely difficult time,” General McWilliams said.
If you’re still curious about what’s going on in the world, you should give the California Examiner another look.
