It was a terrible discovery: 39-year-old Derek Sink lay dead in a tanning bed at a Planet Fitness gym in Indianapolis since November 11, 2024. He entered the facility on November 8, 2024, and there his body lay for three days. The incident shocked the community and begged questions about safety and procedure in gym facilities.
Police say Sink entered the Planet Fitness facility on November 8, 2024. When days passed and he didn’t show up at home, his family reported him missing. No one realized Sink was inside or how long he had been in the tanning bed room for three days. On the morning of November 11, members and employees complained about a terrible smell coming from the tanning rooms. They found the body of Sink in one of the ‘total body enhancement’ tanning beds. This has raised several questions concerning the safety measures in these gyms, where in general large portions of time are spent by the members being completely alone.
Derek Sink was fitted with an ankle monitor at the time of his death, enabling investigators to confirm that he had not left the gym since entering on November 8. Police also said a needle was found in the room where Sink was, showing possible substance use. His family said indeed, Sink did have substance abuse problems, a factor investigators are weighing among many as they try to reconstruct what led up to his senseless death.
The Marion County Coroner’s Office is still working to determine an exact cause of death, with officials calling it an ongoing investigation. Police have so far not confirmed if substance use was a direct factor in Sink’s death, or if other factors contributed to the incident.
In a statement, Planet Fitness said it extended “deepest sympathies to the Sink family,” and expressed its commitment to ensuring the safety of members.
McCall Gosselin, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer for Planet Fitness, released a statement. “We were saddened by the death of one of our members,” she said. “The franchise owner is cooperating with local authorities as part of their investigation into the matter. Since the safety and wellbeing of our members is an utmost priority, we have stringent operational brand protocols in place here at Planet Fitness. Meanwhile, Sink’s family called on Planet Fitness to tighten its policies to prevent such incidents in the future, saying regular checks of isolated areas like tanning rooms can help make sure members are safe and that tragedies like this one don’t go unnoticed.
The incident has raised serious safety concerns among patrons of the gym, especially now that it questions the actual monitoring of private rooms, such as tanning beds. One of the locals who spoke out was Elizabeth Len, who was at the gym and said a worker found Sink’s body. “The tanning bed has a door, I believe,” she said in an interview. “But still, why are we not concerned that the tanning bed has been closed for three days, possibly? Len’s comments reflect a wider sentiment among the gym-using public that minimal monitoring of isolated areas can allow incidents to go unseen. This sad incident underlines the need for added checks at various facilities in the gyms, particularly at areas where patrons can be isolated and left alone for a certain period. Planet Fitness reportedly reviews its protocols for whether additional safety measures could prevent future incidents, such as frequent checks of the rooms.
