Two men with ties to Kosciusko County died from a gas leak in a Fort Myers Beach, Fla., home this past weekend.
According to a Lee County Sheriff’s Office public information report, at approximately 10:01 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24, while on patrol, deputy David Jeffery Goff responded to 433 Palermo Circle, Fort Myers Beach, in reference to a death investigation call for service. Dispatch informed responding deputies the complainant had not seen his neighbors since Friday, Aug. 23 at 6 p.m. and a strong natural gas odor was coming from the home.
Once on scene and exiting their patrol vehicles, Goff and deputy T. James could immediately smell the odor of natural gas, which became stronger as they approached the home. Due to the hazmat issue, the deputies waited for the fire department to respond to the scene.
Deputies made contact with the complainant, Stephen Jack Sexton, who stated that he hadn’t seen his neighbors - Michael Dewitt (former owner of The Car Company in Warsaw) and Jack Elliott Faler - since the day before. Sexton expressed worry due to the strong odor of natural gas coming from his neighbor’s residence.
At about 9:50 p.m., Sexton walked to his neighbor’s home at 433 Palermo Circle. He grabbed the front door handle and noticed it was unlocked. Sexton opened the door and began calling out to his neighbor. Knowing the building layout, Sexton entered the residence to walk to the first-floor back bedroom. Upon entering the bedroom, he found a young adult man unconscious and without a pulse, lying on the bed. Sexton told the deputies he knew the man was dead. He then exited the residence and called 911.
Lee County Fire and Rescue, Lee County EMS and Fort Myers Beach Fire and Rescue responded to the scene to assist with the investigation and to address the hazmat issue. Firefighters conducted a rescue operation and found two men inside the residence. Faler was found on the first floor in the back bedroom and Dewitt was on the third floor in the shower. Both men were pronounced dead at 10:10 p.m. Saturday.
All rescue units confirmed a natural gas leak was coming from inside the home.
Due to the nature of the incident, the Major Crimes Homicide detective was notified and assumed the investigation.
Fort Myers Beach Fire and Rescue requested TECO Gas to respond to the scene to locate the gas leak source. TECO Gas utility coordinator Jeremiah Johnson responded and determined a disconnected pool pump exhaust, which led to the second-story outdoor pool, was the source of the gas leak.