Autopsies show the three U.S. Marines found dead in a parked car at a gas station in a coastal North Carolina community over the weekend died from carbon monoxide poisoning, the Pender County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.
“I am saddened by the timeless and tragic death of these three young men, who served our country honorably. Our thoughts and prayers remain with their families and colleagues during this time,” Sheriff Alan Cutler said in a statement.
The Pender County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were responding to a report of a missing person when they found the three Marines early Sunday at a Speedway convenience store along a highway in Hampstead, North Carolina, about 30 miles south of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.
A woman called the office that morning indicating that her son, a Marine, had failed to arrive on a flight in Oklahoma the night prior, the sheriff’s office said.
“The caller indicated that she had spoken with a supervisor in his unit and that someone was enroute to the location to see if they could locate the missing person,” the office said.
At the time, sheriff’s deputies were also working on a separate missing person report, the office said.
The office said it received a second call later that morning indicating the missing person had been located at the Speedway and that he, along with two other Marines, were deceased inside of a car.
The U.S. Marine Corps identified the three men as Marine Corps Lance Corporal Tanner J. Kaltenberg, 19, from Madison, Wisconsin; Marine Corps Lance Corporal Merax C. Dockery, 23, from Pottawatomie, Oklahoma; and Marine Corps Lance Corporal Ivan R. Garcia, 23, from Naples, Florida.
The men were motor vehicle operators with the Combat Logistics Battalion 2, Combat Logistics Regiment 2 and 2nd Marine Logistics Group at Camp Lejeune, according to First Lt. Raymond Fullbright, of the 2nd Marine Logistics Group.
The North Carolina Office of Medical Examiner performed the autopsies Wednesday, the sheriff’s office said.
