In 2009, the Maersk Alabama, a cargo ship, was attacked by a group of Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean. In 2013, the event was transformed into a drama titled “Captain Phillips.” Recently, two Navy SEALs were found dead on the 500ft vessel.

The SEALs had recently retired and signed on as security guards for the merchant vessel. According to the Seychelles police, the autopsy they performed found that the veterans died of respiratory failure and myocardial infarction (heart attack). Investigators also found needles and traces of heroine while they were searching the cabins of the dead crewmembers.

When friends and family were told of the deaths of Jeffrey Reynolds (44) and Mark Kennedy (44), they were shocked to hear that their loved ones had died from a drug overdose. Everyone who knew the veterans all testified that the men were “goodly people” and that they would never touch a single drug in their life.

The night before their deaths, Jeffrey and Mark went to a casino where they were seen acting extremely outgoing and drinking multiple shots of tequila and vodka with other sailors. The two men were then seen on surveillance cameras walking down a dark hallway with two women.

It is unclear when the veterans returned to the ship, but a colleague who had gone to check in with one of the men found them in their cabin at 4:30 p.m. February 18.

“It’s bizarre. Of course, it’s a shock. They’re all great guys,” said Tom Rothrauff, president of Trident Group, a Virginia-based maritime security services firm that employed them. “I’m absolutely clueless as to what happened.” Although substance abuse is a known problem among veterans, acquaintances of Reynolds and Kennedy told the New York Times they were shocked at the idea that either men had used heroin.

“The description of the two men from friends and family was in stark contrast to what sounded like a pretty hard partying night,” Urbina said. A neighbor of Reynolds, Monika Connelly, told the Times that Reynolds did not drink alcohol. Another neighbor, Paul Bell, called them “church people.” Both Reynolds and Kennedy had children and “seemed to be family men,” Urbina said.

Bodily fluid samples from the two men are being sent to Mauritius for further analysis to “establish if they had consumed a substance which may have induced these events,” Seychelles police said in a statement.