UPDATE: Probe Concludes No Foul Play In Woman’s Death; Beach Tractors May Have Played A Role

UPDATE: Probe Concludes No Foul Play In Woman’s Death; Beach Tractors May Have Played A Role

OCEAN CITY — There was some measure of closure this week in the investigation into last month’s death of a 30-year-old Texas woman, and while there are still some unanswered questions, the death has been ruled accidental and not the result of foul play.

Ocean City officials, including Mayor Rick Meehan, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) Chief Ross Buzzuro and Emergency Services Director Joe Theobald, held a press conference on Thursday morning to announced the conclusion of the investigation into the death of Ashley O’Connor, 30, of Plano, Texas, who was found buried in a large hole on the beach in the early morning hours of July 31.

After an exhaustive investigation, OCPD detectives have determined that around 2 a.m. on July 31, O’Connor walked alone onto the beach in the area of 2nd Street and shortly thereafter fell into or sat in a hole roughly three to four feet deep made by a person or persons unknown. Around 6:30 a.m., she was discovered buried in the sand. The hole was believed to be six feet long from north to south and about four feet wide.

O’Connor had been vacationing in Ocean City with her parents and the family members had been at a Boardwalk establishment. At some point, O’Connor’s mother walked back to their lodgings on the Boardwalk nearby and the victim a short time later walked down the Boardwalk and onto the beach around 2nd Street. Buzzuro said video surveillance showed O’Connor walking on the Boardwalk and then briefly on the beach, but there was no available video evidence of her falling into or sitting in the large hole.

At some point after O’Connor ended up in the hole, the dry sand surrounding it collapsed for reasons unknown, covering the victim. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled the death to be accidental caused by asphyxia due to suffocation. Because the death was ruled accidental, a comprehensive toxicology report was not completed. However, the autopsy revealed alcohol was a factor in the incident. Buzzuro said the OCPD would not divulge O’Connor’s blood-alcohol level, but did say it exceeded the legal limit for driving a motor vehicle.

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Pictured, from left, are Ocean City Emergency Services Director Joe Theobald, Police Chief Ross Buzzuro and Mayor Rick Meehan. Photo by Shawn Soper

O’Connor ended up in the hole sometime shortly after 2 a.m. and her body was discovered on the beach around 6:30 a.m., leaving a window of about four-and-a-half hours for the time of death. However, Buzzuro said on Thursday indications from the autopsy in terms of decomposition and other factors likely put the time of death between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m.

“What we believe is the hole collapsed at some point for reasons unknown,” said Buzzuro. “How the hole collapsed only she will ever know. It might have collapsed when she entered the hole, or it might have collapsed because of her movements once she was in the hole.”

During Thursday’s press conference, Buzzuro for the first time alluded to the possibility of the large machinery including the tractors that sweep the beach each night and smooth the sand for beachgoers the following morning could have contributed to the collapse, which has been a cause for speculation since the tragic incident three weeks ago.

“We can’t discount the fact there were beach tractors in the area,” said Buzzuro. “That equipment is very heavy and causes a lot of vibration.”

Buzzuro said the OCPD detectives working the case utilized all possible resources to determine what might have caused the hole to collapse around O’Connor and could not rule out the possibility the beach cleaning equipment in the immediate area might have contributed.

“We had a lot of assistance from the city’s engineering department with the nuances of sand and it doesn’t take much to collapse,” he said. “There is a good possibility they were working over and around that hole.”

While it may never be known what caused the hole to collapse around O’Connor, who was found buried about a foot-and-a-half below the surface of the three- to four-foot hole, what has been ruled out is any evidence of foul play. Buzzuro said the extensive and methodical investigation included countless witness interviews, a thorough review of all of the physical evidence at the scene and the viewing and reviewing of hours of video surveillance. He also said there were no signs of physical injury on the victim.

“We determined definitively there was no foul play,” he said. “There was nothing nefarious here. No criminal activity contributed to her death.”

Meehan sent prayers and best wishes on behalf of the Town of Ocean City to her family, which has remained in contact with the OCPD throughout the investigation.

“As some of you know, I have been in Ocean City for 40 years and I’ve seen tragic incidents and untimely deaths,” he said. “This is definitely one of the most tragic experiences I’ve ever seen. Ashley O’Connor and her family remain in our prayers.”

For his part, Theobald said one of the big takeaways was the danger of digging holes on the beach in the first place, but perhaps more importantly not filling them in afterward.

“This is a very tragic and very preventable incident,” he said. “Our beach patrol is constantly pulling our visitors together to educate them on the dangers of digging holes and they are constantly monitoring the beach for holes. The beach patrol is trained in sand collapse extraction, but, of course, this happened after hours. We know that sand collapses can quickly become tragic. A five-gallon bucket of sand weighs 62 pounds, so you can see how heavy the sand would be in a collapse like this.”

Theobald said the city and its beach patrol would revisit some of the policies regarding the digging of holes on the beach, but again, the hole that collapsed on O’Connor was likely dug long after the beach patrol was off duty for the night.

“We do everything we can,” he said. “We will never know what caused this hole to collapse on the victim. What we do know we’ll take some steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again. We have been very diligent in our efforts in educating the public about the dangers of digging holes, and I don’t know how much more can be done that we’re not doing already.”

Meehan reinforced the strong message about the dangers of digging deep holes.

“The message here is we never want this to happen again,” he said. “We’re asking our visitors and residents to follow the rules, and if you dig holes, please fill them in. Let’s make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

About The Author: Shawn Soper

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Shawn Soper has been with The Dispatch since 2000. He began as a staff writer covering various local government beats and general stories. His current positions include managing editor and sports editor. Growing up in Baltimore before moving to Ocean City full time three decades ago, Soper graduated from Loch Raven High School in 1981 and from Towson University in 1985 with degrees in mass communications with a journalism concentration and history.