Daniel Dukes

Daniel Patrick Dukes (October 20, 1972 - July 6, 1999) was an American drifter.

Biography
Daniel was born in Columbia, South Carolina on October 20, 1972 to Michael and Patricia Dukes. His parents are real estate brokers who have their own company. He graduated from Westwood High School (Austin, Texas) in 1990. Shortly after graduation Daniel began drifting from Texas and after nine years made it to Florida. Over time Daniel build up an "impressive" arrest record; "racking up" dozens of petty arrests in Texas, Florida, South Carolina, and Washington D.C.

Death
On July 6, 1999 Daniel was found by a Sea World trainer on her shift at the aquarium. His lifeless nude body was draped over killer whale Tilikum's back. An autopsy revealed Daniel had scratches and bruises on his body but no cuts, scrapes, or bite marks. This showed that he either jumped, fell, or was pulled into the tank by the whale (but no one knows for sure because there were no security cameras at that time). The final cause of death was listed as drowning, and hypothermia. There were no drugs or alcohol found in his system but a marijuana cigarette and a fake Florida driver's license was found in his belongings which were left by the pool. Daniel had been wearing green swimming trunks when he was in the tank, which were found by divers at the bottom of the tank. This only led to more confusion for state officials. When examining Daniel's fake I.D. they saw it listed to an address in Coconut Grove. It was a temple where Daniel stayed for three months. At the temple Daniel took a vow of silence although he didn't have to. He also practiced meditation and feeding bread to the birds. At the temple Dukes was active in helping the homeless but failed to follow any of the temple's strict rules. He left in June of that year.

Arrest
Daniel had been arrested and jailed a few days before he died. He was jailed for retail theft (stealing a three musketeers candy bar from a gas-station). He only served three days in Indian River County Jail in Florida, and was released on July 5, 1999. That day he went to Sea World and camped out in the park until after hours; avoiding security. At nighttime Daniel scaled a six foot fence and either fell, jumped, or was pulled into the tank by the killer whale. The death wasn't a shock to Sea World officials because he had jumped into a manatee tank a few months prior (which has much warmer water). He was found at 7:35 a.m. by a trainer on her shift at the aquarium. There is no known motive for Daniel's break into the aquarium or why he chose a killer whale. His parents believe he chose a killer whale because he was obsessed with the video game Ultima, which focuses on wild life creatures. In fact he was so obsessed that while in Austin, Texas in the early 1990's Daniel broke into the game creator's Austin home, stripped off his clothes, and slept in his bed until he was later arrested.