A man’s body has been found inside a tanning bed at a Planet Fitness in Indianapolis three days after he went missing.
Derek Sink, 39, last made contact with his family on Friday, reportedThe Indianapolis Star.
On Monday morning – just hours after the Planet Fitness on Hardegan Street opened for the day – officers were called to a report of a body inside a tanning bed at the gym.
Gym-goer Elizabeth Len revealed she had gone to the Planet Fitness that morning and noticed a “foul smell” which seemed to get stronger near the tanning rooms.
“The tanning bed has a door, I believe, but still, why are we not concerned that the tanning bed has been closed for three days, potentially?” she told WTHR.
The Marion County Coroner’s Office later identified the victim as Sink.
His cause of death is yet to be determined but Sink was known to suffer from substance abuse and drug paraphernalia was found in the tanning room, the family told WTHR.
Marion County court records, seen by NBC News, show Sink, who had a GPS ankle monitor on at the time, was charged with possession of narcotics and possession of a controlled substance in 2023. He pleaded guilty to the first charge and was sentenced to one year of home detention, where he was required to undergo drug testing.
Sinks’s family is now calling for stricter cleaning policies at the gym including an end-of-day checklist for staff to reduce the chances of something similar happening again, WTHR reported.
The Independent has contacted Planet Fitness and the Marion County Coroner’s office for comment.
Planet Fitness’s chief corporate affairs officer McCall Gosselin told People: “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.
“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.”
