Three Missing Marines Found Deceased
I not only find this sad, but I find it ironic that three Marines who were found dead Sunday, July 23rd, inside a car at a Speedway Gas Station in Hampstead, North Carolina were all three motor vehicle operators assigned to Combat Logistics Battalion 2, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group and that they died of carbon monoxide poisoning assumably from the car that they were in.
LCpl Tanner Kaltenberg (19), from Madison, Wisconsin, LCpl Merax Dockery (23), from Pottawatomie, Oklahoma, and LCpl Ivan Garcia (23), from Naples, Florida all station aboard Camp LeJeune were found Sunday morning at the gas station.
It looks like LCpl Dockery was supposed to catch a flight home to Oklahoma on Saturday night. Missing that flight caused a mission person’s report. Local police were investigating that report when they received a call about the three Marines in the car.
The following Press Release was released by the Pender County Sheriff
*Update: 7/26/2023- 3 Marines identified, found deceased.
******PRESS RELEASE******
On Sunday morning, July 23, 2023, at 0822 hours, Pender County Sheriff’s Office Communications received a call regarding a missing person at 14477 US Hwy 17 in Hampstead. This location is a Speedway Convenience Store.
The caller indicated that her son was a United States Marine stationed at Camp Lejeune and that he had failed to arrive on a flight in Oklahoma the night prior. The caller indicated that she had spoken with a supervisor in his unit and that someone was en route to the location to see if they could locate the missing person.
At the time of this call, deputies were working on a separate missing person report.
At 0903 hours a second call was received by Pender County Sheriff Communications indicating that the missing person had been located at the Speedway and that he, along with two other Marines were deceased inside of a vehicle parked at the location.
The deceased are identified as following:
· Marine Corps Lance Corporal Tanner J. Kaltenberg, 19, from Madison, Wisconsin.
· “Marine Corps Lance Corporal Merax C. Dockery, 23, from Pottawatomie, Oklahoma.
· “Marine Corps Lance Corporal Ivan R. Garcia, 23, from Naples, Florida.
Families of the deceased were notified by United States Marine Corps Officials. Autopsies were performed on the descendants today July 26, 2023 by the North Carolina Office of Medical Examiner. All three deaths are consistent due to Carbon Monoxide Poisoning.
Sheriff Alan W. Cutler provided the following statement;
“I am saddened by the timeless and tragic death of these three young men, who served our country honorably. Our thoughts and prayers remain with their families and colleagues during this time.”
