The woman whose body was found in a hole on an Ocean City beach essentially drowned in the sand, according to a death investigation released by the town's police department.
Ashley O'Connor, 30, of Plano, Texas, was found on the beach early Monday in the area of 2nd Street. The Maryland Office of the Chief Medial Examiner ruled the death to be accidental, and "caused by asphyxia due to suffocation," the police department said.
O'Connor walked on the beach alone around 2 a.m. Monday, police said. It is still unknown if she climbed into the hole on her own or fell in before the sand caved around her, police said.
It's also unclear why the sand caved around O'Connor.