OCEAN CITY — There are still more questions than answers surrounding the discovery of a dead body in the parking lot of a mid-town hotel in September, but law enforcement officials said this week the incident does not appear to have involved foul play.
A concerned citizen contacted the OCPD on Sept. 20 after discovering an unconscious male outside in the parking lot of a hotel on 60th Street. After evaluation, paramedics pronounced the victim deceased at the scene. The victim was identified later that week as Nathanael Stroup, 42, of Hyattsville, Md.
OCPD detectives from the Criminal Investigation Division responded to the scene and initiated an investigation that has remained open for nearly two months. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner transported the deceased body from the scene for an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
Last month, the OCPD issued a statement updating the investigation and the findings of the Medical Examiner.
“The investigation into the unattended death that occurred on September 20 is still open,” the statement reads. “The medical examiner ruled the manner of death as ‘multiple injuries from a fall,’ and the cause of death as undetermined.”
OCPD detectives collected video surveillance footage from the hotel where the deceased was discovered and from surrounding businesses in the area including a convenience store. OCPD Deputy Communications Manager Ashley Miller said this week the investigation remains active, but foul play is not apparent.
“The investigation into the unattended death that occurred on Sept. 20 is still open,” Miller said in a statement. “At this time, the fall does not appear to be criminal in nature.”
