Mother of Indianapolis Man Found Dead in Planet Fitness Tanning Bed Recalls His Final Days (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Derek Sink.Photo:courtesy of Karen Wetzel

courtesy of Karen Wetzel

The mother of an Indianapolis man who wasfound dead in a Planet Fitness tanning bedis remembering his final moments.

Derek Sink’s body was discovered at the gym franchise on Hardegan Street on the morning of Monday, Nov. 11. Sink first got into the tanning bed on Friday, Nov. 8, theIndianapolis Starreported. He was 39.

On Wednesday, Nov. 13, Sink’s mother, Karen Wetzel, spoke with PEOPLE about his last days as his family copes with the shocking loss.

“It’s not easy at all. Everybody’s a mess,” Wetzel says. “I’m just trying to keep myself together until this funeral is done, and then I’ll have my fall apart.”

Sink’s probation officer went to his last known location, Planet Fitness, on Monday, and they found her son in a tanning bed, Wetzel says. She questions why it took days for her son to be found, noting that a gymgoer reported a foul smell inside the facility.

Wetzel also alleges that Sink was navigating drug addiction and a syringe was found in the room with him. She says she is convinced when the toxicology comes back, authorities will find fentanyl in his system.

She says that despite Sink’s troubled past, he was “a human being with value and worth.”

Taking a moment, Wetzel remembers her late son as “the kindest person,” with “the softest heart.”

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Sink, who was also the father of a 20-year-old son, tried to turn his life around and worked at a halfway house to help those living with mental or physical issues, Wetzel recalls of her “beautiful” son.

“This remains an ongoing death investigation. The Marion County Coroner’s Office (MCCO) will determine the exact manner and cause of death," an Indianapolis Metro Police Department spokesperson earlier told PEOPLE on Nov. 12 about Sink’s death.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

source: people.com