UPDATE: Cause of Death For Three Marines Found Dead Near Military Base Revealed

As WLTR previously reported, three U.S. Marines were found dead inside a car at a gas station in Hampstead, North Carolina.

Three U.S. Marines Found Dead Near Military Base

The three deceased individuals, all Marine lance corporals, were found at a Speedway gas station approximately 40 minutes from Camp Lejeune.

An investigation began to determine the cause of their deaths.

Foul play was not suspected, according to reports.

3 U.S. Marines found dead inside a car at a gas station in Hampstead, North Carolina. Cause of death unknown but officials say there's no indication of foul play

— BNO News (@BNONews) July 25, 2023

The Messenger reported:

The Marines were found after deputies from the Pender County Sheriff’s Office responded to a missing persons call. One of the Marines in the car was the man who had been reported missing.

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“There’s nothing to believe it to be foul play or anything,” Sgt. Chester Ward of the Pender County Sheriff’s Department told the local Port City Daily. “We’re waiting for an autopsy report.”

The Defense Department has not announced the deaths publicly. A U.S. official with knowledge of the incident told The Messenger that the Marines’ families have been notified by U.S. military casualty assistance officers.

Friends and family posted messages of shock and expressions of love on Facebook for the three Marines.

Ward said no drugs were found in the vehicle.

The three Marines were later identified as Tanner J. Kaltenberg, 19, of Madison, Wisconsin, Merax C. Dockery, 23, of Pottawatomie, Oklahoma, and Ivan R. Garcia, 23, of Naples, Florida.

Three young Marines mysteriously found dead in car at gas station by Camp Lejeune: authorities https://t.co/49xONboqie pic.twitter.com/oCVFdT1uXJ

— New York Post (@nypost) July 25, 2023

UPDATE

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The Pender County Sheriff’s Office announced the three Marines died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Watch: 3 Marines found dead at North Carolina gas station died of carbon monoxide poisoning, police say https://t.co/IsLkcBoaXN

— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) July 27, 2023

Just the News reports:

On Wednesday, the Pender County Sheriff’s Office announced the three Marines who were found dead in a parked car outside a North Carolina gas station Sunday morning died from carbon monoxide poisoning. The Marine Corps has identified the men as Lance Corporal Tanner J. Kaltenberg, 19; Lance Corporal Merax C. Dockery, 23; and Lance Corporal Ivan R. Garcia, 23. Authorities do not know where the Marines were headed, how long the car had been parked at the gas station, or if there were any issues with the vehicle.

3 Marines Who Were Found Dead In A Car In North Carolina Died From Carbon Monoxide Poisoning, Police Say https://t.co/NaHfPCLtye

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) July 26, 2023

The New York Post has more:

The three young US Marines who were found dead in a car at a gas station near Camp Lejeune in North Carolina died from carbon monoxide poisoning, authorities said.

Officials also revealed that the missing-person call that led to the tragic discovery on Sunday morning came from the worried mom of one of the dead servicemen, the Jacksonville, North Carolina, Daily News said.

The Pender County Sheriff’s Office got the call shortly before 8:30 a.m., with the woman reporting that her Marine son never showed up on his scheduled flight home to Oklahoma the night before, the outlet reported.

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The sheriff’s office later found the three in a four-door sedan in the parking lot of a Speedway Convenience Store in Hampstead — all dead.

Authorities did not immediately say whether the deaths were believed to be accidental.