Officials investigating the deaths of three young Marines found dead outside of Camp Lejeune announced their cause of death Wednesday after receiving the results from the autopsy reports.
Lance Corporal Tanner Kaltenberg, 19; Lance Corporal Merax Dockery, 23; and Lance Corporal Ivan Garcia, 23, died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning, officials with the Pender County Sheriff’s Office revealed in a statement on social media.
The three Marines were found deceased in a car at a gas station near the North Carolina base Sunday morning after Pender County police officers were alerted to the whereabouts of a missing person. The caller, Dockery’s mother, had explained to the Sheriff’s office that her son had failed to arrive on a flight home to Oklahoma the night before and a supervisor had gone in search of him, the release stated.
Approximately a half hour later, another call was received by the Pender County Sheriff’s office indicating that “the missing person had been located at the Speedway [gas station] and that he, along with two other Marines were deceased inside of a vehicle parked at the location,” the release continued.
Families of the victims were notified of the autopsy results by officials with the United States Marine Corps after the North Carolina Office of Medical Examiner determined all three deaths were consistent with carbon monoxide poisoning. (RELATED: Parents Sue AirBnB After Their Children Died In Mexico City Rental, Carbon Monoxide Suspected)
“I am saddened by the timeless and tragic death of these three young men who served our country honorably,” said Sheriff Alan W. Cutler in the release. “Our thoughts and prayers remain with their families and colleagues during this time.”