Missing man, 39, found dead in gym tanning booth three days after arriving as member detects foul smell before workout
A MISSING man has been found dead in a Planet Fitness tanning bed three days after he first arrived at the gym.
Planet Fitness members in Indianapolis, , said they detected a foul smell before starting their workout on Monday, leading to the grim discovery.
The Marion County Coroner identified the man as Derek Sink, 39, on Tuesday, although the office has not released a cause of death, reported.
A needle was found next to him by the tanning bed, according to police.
Cops said Sink walked into the gym on Friday and never left after reviewing tracking information from an ankle monitor he was wearing.
Sink's family reported him missing on Sunday and told NBC affiliate that he had struggled with drug use.
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The gym closed at 9 pm on Friday and was open from 7 am to 7 pm on Saturday and Sunday. It opened again at 5 am on Monday morning.
He was found around 9 am on Monday morning, per The Indianapolis Star.
Gymgoer Elizabeth Len said she detected a strange smell when entering the center.
“I was kind of like sniffing, trying not to look crazy, but I was like ‘Something smells really awful here,” she told WTHR.
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She went toward the tanning room and said the smell got stronger.
Bosses at the gym have since closed off the tanning facilities.
Planet Fitness statement
Planet Fitness has issued a statement after Derek Sink was found dead inside a tanning booth at a gym in Indianapolis.
“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," McCall Gosselin, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Planet Fitness told The U.S. Sun.
"At Planet Fitness, we have robust operational brand protocols in place, as the safety and well-being of our members is our top priority.
"We are working closely with our local franchisee to ensure they are upholding those brand protocols.”
Tributes have been paid to Sink online.
"God bless you my friend," a pal posted on Facebook.
McCall Gosselin, the chief of corporate affairs at Planet Fitness, told The U.S. Sun the company was looking into protocols and assessing how this could have happened.
"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," she said.
“At Planet Fitness, we have robust operational brand protocols in place, as the safety and well-being of our members is our top priority.
“We are working closely with our local franchisee to ensure they are upholding those brand protocols.”
Sink’s family has called on the gym to implement stricter cleaning policies.
The investigation into Sink’s death remains ongoing, but police do not suspect foul play.
The discovery comes just weeks after Walmart worker Gursimran Kaur, 19, was found trapped in a walk-in oven at a store in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Kaur worked in the superstore with her mom, but the teen had not been seen on the floor for an hour.
Kaur’s mom tried to call her daughter but was unsuccessful.
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A worker spotted a leakage from one of the ovens in the bakery department, prompting Kaur’s mom to open it.
Kaur’s remains were found inside, but it remains unclear how she was trapped.
