'He was ready to take on the world': Second teen identified in Chandler garage death

The second teen who was found dead alongside his friend in a Chandler garage early Tuesday morning has been identified as 17-year-old Marcus Lee, his family confirmed Thursday.

He was with 18-year-old Romeo Elias Alvarez in the garage of the apartment complex where Marcus's family lives, near Arizona Avenue and Ray Road. The two teens' families had reported them missing after they hadn't been heard from since Sunday night.

Their bodies were found after the families traced the teens' phones and reviewed their recent text messages.

The preliminary investigation suggested that their deaths were accidental.

Family and friends of the two teens believe they died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

The missing teens Just days before Marcus's and Alvarez's bodies were found, they had each spent time with their families.

According to Merle Lee, Marcus's father, the teen had dinner with the family that Sunday after church. At about 1 a.m. the next morning, Marcus, a Chandler High School student, left the house, telling his brother he was heading to the gym.

"He went out, and I guess he met his friend down there," Merle said. "For some reason, they decided to park in the garage, I'm assuming, because it was cold, and you can't really park anywhere else."

Similarly, Alvarez, a first-year Arizona State University student studying pre-med, left a family party that Sunday night, according to family friend Andrea Varelas.

Alvarez's mother, Selena Preciado, reported her son missing.

With Monday being Veterans Day, Merle woke up with plans to volunteer at church. He noticed that Marcus wasn't home and that his car keys were also missing.

Merle assumed that Marcus was also taking advantage of the holiday by running around that morning, so he took off for the church using his wife's keys.

Throughout the day though, Merle and Venishaah started to get worried when their son didn't return their phone calls or texts. When Merle came home, they filed a missing persons report.

Around 7 p.m. on Monday, Merle said, police called asking whether they knew of Alvarez as he was also reported missing around the area. They did not know who the other teen was though.

About an hour later, members of the Alvarez family spotted one of Merle's other sons skateboarding around their apartment complex, stopping him to ask about Alvarez.

"They said the last place (Alvarez) pinged was there," Merle said referring to Alvarez's cell phone location data. "We came down and we put two and two together."

The families later learned through their teens' text messages that the two decided to park in the detached garage that the Lees mostly used for storage, Merle explained.

Merle tried to open the garage but was unable to. The garage door opener was in Marcus's possession. The families flagged down police to help open the garage at around 3 a.m.

Firefighters were called to help and were able to make a hole in the garage door to peek inside with flashlights, Merle recalled.

But when one firefighter went inside, he quickly came back out, "Because it was so heavy with carbon monoxide in there, he had to get a mask on," Merle said.

Firefighters quickly aired out the garage and went back in, confirming that the two teens' bodies were in the vehicle.

"They were probably in there — I'd say 3 (a.m.) to 3 (a.m.) — almost 24 hours," Merle said.

The Lee family can't make any funeral arrangements yet as Marcus's body is still at the medical examiner's office.

"It's just hard, it's supposed to be our son burying us, not the other way around," Merle said.

Family, friends mourn beloved teens As the investigation into their deaths continues to unfold, family and friends grapple with the loss of two young individuals who were embracing adulthood.

"(Marcus) was a bright kid," Merle of Marcus. "He was outspoken, he was loud, he was very bold. Sometimes, he wouldn't back down from certain things, he stood his ground on a lot of things."

Marcus was a senior at Chandler High and the middle child among seven siblings. He was also an artist who enjoyed anime.

According to Merle, Marcus had ambitions of becoming a welder, following in the footsteps of his father and mother, Venishaah, who were both pipe fitters.

"He was ready to take on the world," Merle said.

Marcus was also heavily involved at the church his family attends, Potter's House in Mesa.

"He was well known there with all the youth, just everybody," Merle said. "Basically, from ever since he was 4 years old, when we entered that church, just everybody there knew him. He had a relationship with everybody."

As for Alvarez, he's been described by friends as smart, funny, outgoing and the "icebreaker" of the group.

In an emailed statement from an ASU spokesperson, the university said it "extends its deepest condolences to Romeo's family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time."

Alvarez graduated from Dobson High School in Mesa in May.

According to school Principal Gabrielle Buckley, some of Alvarez's former teachers asked to take some time off this week to grieve.

"It definitely hit teachers," Buckley said, noting that some had been referenced during the commencement speech he gave at the school's graduation ceremony.

While delivering the speech, Alverez donned a Spider-Man costume under his gown, which Buckley acknowledged that she wouldn't normally allow, but the suit fit in with his message of appreciating your childhood even as he and his classmates took a major step into adulthood.

"(Alvarez was) a really fantastic dynamic student, and he was fun to be around, and he wanted to make people laugh," she said.

Shawn Raymundo covers the West Valley cities of Glendale, Peoria and Surprise. Reach him at or follow him on X