Three U.S. Marines were found dead inside a car parked at a gas station in Hampstead, N.C. Authorities detailed that an investigation has been opened in the case. No weapons, illegal drugs or signs of an attack were found.
Three US Marines Found Dead in Car Near Camp Lejeune https://t.co/UTQEiaByi9
— Amber Smith (@AmberSmithUSA) July 25, 2023
The sheriff's office said on Facebook that deputies responded around 9 a.m. Sunday to a report of a missing person and later found the bodies of the Marines. "There does not appear to have ever been any threat to members of the community," a sheriff's spokesman said.
Sgt. Chester Ward of the Pender County Sheriff's Office explained to the Associated Press that it appeared to be more of an accidental death. In addition, Ward detailed that they are awaiting the results of the autopsy. The Marines, who were operators of motorized vehicles stationed at Camp Lejeune military base, did not appear to have committed suicide, according to Ward.
The Marines were identified as: Tanner J. Kaltenberg, 19, of Madison, Wisc.; Merax C. Dockery, 23, of Pottawatomie, Okla.; and Ivan R. Garcia, 23, of Naples, Fla.
