Preparedness
Shocking Discovery Inside Indiana Gym’s Tanning Bed
Employees at a Planet Fitness in Indiana were taken aback when they found the deceased body of a 39-year-old man inside a tanning bed, where he had entered three days prior. The discovery was made after a report brought officers from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department to the gym on Hardegen Street on November 11, just before 8:30 a.m.
The Marion County Coroner’s Office identified the man as Derek Sink. A noticeable foul odor permeated the building, intensifying near the tanning rooms, which eventually led to the grim discovery.
A spokesperson for the gym expressed their sorrow over the incident, stating, “We were deeply saddened by the passing of one of our members, and the franchise owner is working with the local authorities in their investigation.”
Sink’s aunt revealed to WTHR-TV that he wore an ankle monitor, which indicated he had not exited the gym since entering the tanning bed on November 8. This detail helped police conclude that he had been in the tanning bed for an extended period.
Karen Wetzel, Sink’s mother, shared with People magazine that her son had gone to the gym with his girlfriend and daughter. They left him to go shopping, only to be unable to locate him upon their return. Wetzel mentioned Sink’s struggle with drug addiction and noted that a syringe was found with his body. She suspected that a toxicology report might reveal the presence of fentanyl.
“I’m just trying to keep myself together until this funeral is done, and then I’ll have my fall-apart,” Wetzel said, expressing her grief.
This incident bears resemblance to a case from August, where a woman was found deceased at her desk at the Wells Fargo corporate office in Tempe, Arizona. Her body remained undiscovered over the weekend until her boss attempted to contact her via email. Authorities reported no evidence of foul play and later attributed her death to “sudden cardiac death in the setting of myocardial fibrosis.”
Watch a local news report about the incident below:
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