Three people found dead in a vehicle at a North Carolina gas station Sunday were Marine lance corporals based at Camp Lejeune, the Marine Corps said Tuesday.
The cause and circumstances of the deaths are under investigation, officials said.
The three Marines were found unresponsive at a Speedway gas station in Hampstead, about 30 miles southwest of Camp Lejeune, around 9 a.m., the Marines and the Pender County Sheriff’s Office said.
A sheriff’s spokesperson was not available to comment Tuesday evening.
Sheriff’s Sgt. Chester Ward told The Associated Press that no drugs were found in the vehicle. The sheriff’s office said there is no threat to the public.
Deputies were investigating a report of a missing person when they discovered three deceased people, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
The Marines were identified as Lance Cpl. Tanner J. Kaltenberg, 19, of Madison, Wisconsin; Lance Cpl. Merax C. Dockery, 23, of Pottawatomie, Oklahoma; and Lance Cpl. Ivan R. Garcia, 23, of Naples, Florida.
They were members of Combat Logistics Battalion 2, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, the Marine Corps said.
“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 2nd Marine Logistics Group, said in a statement.
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune is on the coast of North Carolina. It is the home base of the II Marine Expeditionary Force, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Logistics Group and others, according to its website.
