Two men with ties to Kosciusko County died last weekend due to a gas leak at a home in Fort Myers Beach, Florida.
According to a public information report from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy David Jeffery Goff responded to a call about a death at 433 Palermo Circle in Fort Myers Beach while on patrol on Saturday, August 24 at approximately 10:01 p.m. Dispatch informed responding deputies that the complainant had not seen his neighbors since 6 p.m. Friday, August 23 and that there was a strong odor of natural gas coming from the home.
When Goff and Deputy T. James arrived on scene and exited their patrol cars, they could immediately smell the odor of natural gas, which became stronger as they approached the house. Due to the hazardous materials issue, the deputies waited until the fire department arrived on scene.
Officers made contact with complainant Stephen Jack Sexton, who stated that he had not seen his neighbors – Michael Dewitt (former owner of The Car Company in Warsaw) and Jack Elliott Faler – since the previous day. Sexton expressed concern about the strong smell of natural gas coming from his neighbor’s home.
At approximately 9:50 p.m., Sexton went to his neighbor’s home at 433 Palermo Circle. He reached for the doorknob and noticed it was unlocked. Sexton opened the door and began calling for his neighbor. Knowing the layout of the building, Sexton entered the home and went to the back bedroom on the first floor. When he entered the bedroom, he found a young adult male lying on the bed unconscious and without a pulse. Sexton told officers he knew the man was dead. He then left the home and called 911.
Lee County Fire and Rescue, Lee County EMS and Fort Myers Beach Fire and Rescue arrived on scene to assist with the investigation and resolve the hazardous materials issue. Firefighters conducted a rescue operation and found two men inside the home. Faler was found on the first floor in the back bedroom and Dewitt was found on the third floor in the shower. Both men were pronounced dead at 10:10 p.m. Saturday.
All rescue units confirmed that there was a natural gas leak coming from inside the house.
Due to the nature of the incident, the Major Crimes Homicide Unit was notified and took over the investigation.
The Fort Myers Beach Fire Department requested that TECO Gas come to the scene to locate the source of the gas leak. Jeremiah Johnson, utility coordinator for TECO Gas, arrived and determined that an unplugged pool pump exhaust vent leading to the second floor outdoor pool was the source of the gas leak.