Autopsy: Lejeune Marines died from carbon monoxide poisoning

The Pender County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday three Marines found dead in a car early Sunday morning likely died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Deputies found the bodies of 19-year-old Lance Corporal Tanner Kaltenberg of Madison Wisconsin, 23-year-old Lance Corporal Merax Dockery of Pottawatomie, Oklahoma and 23-year-old Lance Corporal Ivan Garcian of Naples, Florida Sunday afternoon inside a car at a Speedway gas station in Hampstead.

Dockery's mother called 911 Sunday morning after her son didn't arrive on a flight back home to Oklahoma.

A preliminary autopsy revealed all three men died from carbon monoxide poisoning. The Pender County Sheriff's Office did not immediately make it clear if the deaths were accidental.

“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," Sheriff Alan Cutler said.