A man was found dead inside a gym’s tanning bed three days after he went missing.
Derek Sink, 39, was discovered inside the machine at a gym in Indianapolis, Indiana on Monday morning.
A sign was placed on the front door as of Monday that says ‘tanning is currently unavailable.’
A gym member, Elizabeth Len, said she was greeted by a foul smell upon entering the building for her Monday morning workout. Trying not to draw attention, she began sniffing the air, concerned by what was causing the strong, unpleasant odour.
As she moved closer to the tanning rooms, the smell intensified, becoming increasingly difficult to ignore before she called staff, who discovered the body.
Despite the gym being open from 7am to 7pm over the weekend, nobody had entered the tanning room to check or clean the area.
His family told police that they last heard from him on Friday before reporting him missing on Sunday. His family said a needle was found inside the room with him, and that Sink has struggled with drug use.
Gillian Scholz, owner of Girlz and Guys Tanning Salon in Tableview commented, “ I am absolutely shocked that the rooms were not checked for 3 days. Tanning rooms should be checked at least 3 times a day, if not more frequently, to cleaned and sanitised throughout the day.
“If the door is closed for more than the allotted timeslot, someone should have knocked. We follow strict protocols with regards to tanning beds. Clients need to complete an indemnity form, checking for contra-indications. If the client is under 18 their parents need to sign the form. We limit their tanning duration and frequency, checking if they are taking too long. What happened was completely avoidable”.
Incidents of individuals being found dead in tanning beds at gyms are rare but have made headlines over the years.
In 2009 a German woman in her twenties was discovered unresponsive in a tanning bed. She was later pronounced dead, and initial reports suggested that she had suffered a fatal heart attack while tanning.
Heart problems, heatstroke, or other health complications can arise due to prolonged exposure to high UV levels and the intense heat
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