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Indianapolis Man Derek Sink Found Dead in Planet Fitness Tanning Bed After Going Missing 3 Days Prior
An Indianapolis man named Derek Sink was found dead in the tanning bed of a Planet Fitness after he was reported missing by his family.
“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, Planet Fitness’ chief corporate affairs officer, said in a statement given to People on Wednesday, November 13.
Gosselin continued, “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.”
A spokesperson for the Indianapolis Metro Police Department also released a statement to In Touch and revealed that there was an “ongoing death investigation,” but the “the exact manner and cause of death” had yet to be determined. However, authorities stated that the investigation into the man’s death was not being looked at as a homicide.
Sink, 39, was declared dead by the Marion County Coroner’s Office after employees at the Planet Fitness discovered his body and called authorities around 8:30 a.m. on Monday, November 11, according to the Indianapolis Star. The publication reported that family members reported Sink missing the previous night.
Sink allegedly entered the gym on November 8 and got into the tanning bed on his own. 21 Alive News in Fort Wayne, Indiana, reported that he was wearing an ankle monitor at the time, which is what helped authorities determine that he had not left the gym after he arrived. The gym was open on both November 9 and 10 from 7 a.m. to 7 a.m. but the body wasn’t found until shortly before 9 a.m. on Monday morning.
Sink’s family told local ABC affiliate WTHR that he struggled with substance abuse issues and a needle was located in the room where he was found dead. The gym reportedly did not close the facility for the day after Sink’s body was discovered and instead posted a notice on the door that the tanning beds were not available, according to 21 Alive News. Sink’s family members also said that they hoped his death led “to see stricter policies on cleaning and end-of-day checklists for staff to ensure this does not happen again.”
Many people were shocked that it took three days for the body to be discovered and several of them questioned the facility’s cleaning standards.
“3 days? Soooo yall don’t clean them after the customers leave for the day? Or after every use? There was no option to have found him sooner?” wrote one Instagram user.
Several people questioned why managers didn’t shut the gym down after the discovery.
“Not only did no one clean the tanning bed but they also just ignored the smell, and sprayed Febreeze? They didn’t even have the decency to close when they found the body! They just stayed open and closed the tanning beds,” another person added on X.
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