Three Marines were found dead near NC coast, military says. Cause of death announced

Simone Jasper
McClatchy file photo

UPDATE: The three Marines who were found dead inside a car on July 23 at a gas station in Hampstead, North Carolina, died from carbon monoxide poisoning, the Pender County Sheriff’s Office announced on Wednesday, July 26.

The original story continues below.

Three U.S. Marines were found dead near the North Carolina coast, sparking a mystery, officials told news outlets.

The Pender County Sheriff’s Office said it received a report of a missing person and started investigating early Sunday, July 23. That’s when deputies found three bodies in a car at a gas station.

Deputies reported making the discovery in Hampstead, near popular beach destinations and roughly 30 miles southwest of the Camp Lejeune military base.

The 2nd Marine Logistics Group told WCTI the military members who died were identified as:

  • 19-year-old Lance Cpl. Tanner Kaltenberg of Madison, Wisconsin

  • 23-year-old Lance Cpl. Merax Dockery of Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma

  • 23-year-old Lance Cpl. Ivan Garcia of Naples, Florida

As of July 25, officials continued to investigate what caused the men to die, WITN reported. There isn’t believed to be a threat to the public, deputies wrote in a Facebook post.

“My deepest sympathy and condolences are extended to the family, friends, and colleagues of Lance Cpl. Kaltenberg, Lance Cpl. Dockery and Lance Cpl. Garcia,” Brig. Gen. Michael E. McWilliams, commanding general of the 2nd Marine Logistics Group, said in a statement shared with WNCT and other news outlets. “Our focus is providing the necessary resources and support to those impacted by their tragic loss as they navigate this extremely difficult time.”

The 2nd Marine Logistics Group, which has a presence at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, didn’t immediately share additional information with McClatchy News on July 26.

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