The incident unfolded on Sunday morning when police responded to a missing persons report and subsequently found the bodies inside a Lexus sedan at a Speedway convenience store. Following an investigation, law enforcement revealed on Tuesday that the deceased individuals were Marines stationed at the nearby Camp Lejeune military base.
The sheriff's office emphasized that there was no apparent threat to the community. Officials have ruled out suicide and foul play, as no weapons, illegal substances, or signs of an attack were found at the scene. Sergeant Chester Ward of the Pender County Sheriff's Office described the deaths as "more like an accidental death."
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The three Marines have been identified as 19-year-old Tanner Kaltenberg from Wisconsin, 23-year-old Merax Dockery from Oklahoma, and 23-year-old Ivan Garcia from Florida. Authorities are currently investigating the possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning as a contributing factor in the deaths. Autopsy reports are expected to be completed by Wednesday evening. All three Marines were assigned to Marine Combat Logistics Battalion 2 at the base.
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Brigadier General Michael E. McWilliams, the commanding general of 2nd Marine Logistics Group, expressed his condolences to the families, friends, and colleagues of the deceased Marines. Heather Dockery, the mother of Lance Corporal Dockery, described her son as a "great kid" and expressed her pride in him.
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