A Texas woman mysteriously died on a Maryland beach this week, and officials on Wednesday, Aug. 2, ruled it accidental.
The woman—identified as 30-year-old Ashley O'Connor of Plano, Texas—was found buried with her arm sticking up out of the sand, said Ocean City Police Department spokeswoman Lindsay Richard, who added that the woman was on vacation, ABC News reported.
Her family was notified, Richard told ABC.
Maryland’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled her death accidental, saying it was caused by asphyxia.
O'Connor reportedly walked onto the beach—alone—at around 2 a.m. local time on Monday. Her body was found at around 6 a.m. that day.
It’s unclear if she fell into the hole or climbed down there.
“Investigators are still trying to determine what caused that hole to fall in, which is something we may never know, but we’re still investigating it,” said Richard, according to KHOU-11.
They will now determine if alcohol played a role in her death, the police spokeswoman said.
Ocean City Communications Manager Jessica Waters told The Associated Press that foul play has not been ruled out.
Ocean City is a popular tourist destination, with more than 8 million people visiting there each year.
An investigation is ongoing.
A portion of the Ocean City beach was closed as of Monday as officials recovered the body, but it was reopened to the public later that day.
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