Maintenance workers discovered the victim around 10:00 a.m.
The man has been identified as Chad Wolfe, 31, from West Newton, Pennsylvania.
"We are distraught," said Bob Young, Chad's uncle, via phone from Pennsylvania.
Chad's father, Garland, told ABC Action News his son flew out of Pittsburgh Thursday night along with his girlfriend, Jessica. The couple had a layover in Georgia and arrived in Tampa shortly before midnight on Delta flight 2233.
Investigators have determined that shortly after midnight on Friday, Wolfe entered an elevator on the third floor of the main terminal that stopped on the seventh floor of the Short Term Parking Garage.
According to Garland, his son Chad planned to meet up with friends in Central Florida. The group was going to rent a car and drive from Tampa to Daytona for Bike Week.
Garland says airport police told him Chad pried open the elevator doors and fell to his death. However, Garland said 'he didn't believe that' because his son only weighed 150 pounds and didn't have the strength. He added that when he spoke to his son's girlfriend, she also provided conflicting information.
The girlfriend allegedly told Garland Chad had had a drink on the plane and taken a Xanax to help him fly.
Apparently, Chad's girlfriend told him to wait on the main concourse while she retrieved her checked luggage from baggage claim. When she returned, Chad was gone. After searching for him, according to Garland, she alerted airport police of his disappearance.
"No, not at all," replied Young when asked if he thought Chad's girlfriend could have played a role in his death. The couple had been together for more than 10 years.
Around 3 a.m. airport maintenance workers reported that an elevator had stopped functioning. It was an elevator adjacent to the one Chad took.
Later that morning, when elevator technicians were working to restore the elevator to service, they discovered Wolfe's body.
What doesn't add up is that Chad's carry-on bag was found on the seventh floor of the airport which serves as a short-term parking lot. Rent a car offices are on the ground floor of the airport adjacent to baggage claim.
"How did he fall down the elevator shaft without his luggage?" Young questioned.
Chad's family does not believe he fell to his death. Instead, they believe the airport was negligent.
"We are thinking along those lines," said Young.
The family does not believe Chad hurt himself. According to Young, Chad had a lot of friends, was well-liked, worked hard and enjoyed jet skiing. He was also going to be an uncle for the second time Saturday.
The medical examiner has taken possession of Wolfe's body and is working to determine a cause of death.
Wolfe worked at a body shop in Pennsylvania alongside his father.
ABC Action News did contact Chad's girlfriend for comment but did not immediately hear back.
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| Chad Wolfe |
The company, Schindler Elevator Corp., "is out today, inspecting all the elevator doors at the airport to make sure they are functioning properly," said airport spokeswoman Janet Zink. "We are working through the weekend on all aspects of the investigation."
The elevator crew's efforts came a day after Chad Wolfe, an auto body mechanic, was found on top of an elevator in the Armstrong Blue section of the garage. Zink said Wolfe arrived at 12:10 a.m. Friday on Delta Flight 2233 out of Atlanta. Shortly after arriving, he entered an elevator on the third floor of the main terminal and appeared to have taken it up to the seventh floor of the garage, Zink said.
Wolfe's luggage and cell phone were found outside the elevator on the seventh floor, Zink said.
At 3 a.m., maintenance workers noticed an elevator had stopped working. About seven hours later, technicians investigating the problem discovered Wolfe's body, Zink said.
Officials from Schindler Elevator Corp. did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment Saturday.
Garland Wolfe had no idea his son Chad's trip to Florida went horribly wrong until a phone call at 4 a.m. Friday.
"His girlfriend or her mother called, panicky," said Wolfe, who runs an auto body shop in West Newton, Pa., just outside Pittsburgh. "They were saying they couldn't find Chad."
Awakened by the call, Wolfe said he got up, made coffee and began worrying.
Chad Wolfe came to Tampa International Airport shortly after midnight Friday with his girlfriend, Jessica Price, said Garland Wolfe. Chad Wolfe, a motorcycle enthusiast, just had bought a Harley-Davidson Sportster and the couple was heading to Daytona Beach for Bike Week. They had lived together for eight years, said Garland Wolfe.
Unable to sleep, Garland Wolfe said, he went over to Wolfe's Auto Body/CWolfe Auto Sales, where he and his son worked, and waited as Price searched the airport for his son.
At 1 p.m., Garland Wolfe said, he received another call: His son's body was found on top of an elevator car at the airport.
Garland Wolfe said investigators told him they were looking into whether his son tried to pry open the elevator's door. Zink said investigators from the airport, as well as inspectors from Schindler, were considering a range of possibilities and there would be no definitive answer on what happened until next week.
Garland Wolfe said he and his wife, Margaret, would have rushed down to Florida earlier to try and help find their son, who loved fishing and sports as well as motorcycles, but another family event prevented them from traveling.
The couple's daughter, Courtney, was at a local hospital, giving birth to a son, named Noah.
"I don't know what I am going to do now," said Garland Wolfe. "My son lives 50 feet from our shop. He would get there at 6 a.m., open it up and make coffee. He's not going to be there anymore."
Story and Photo: http://www2.tbo.com
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