On Ocean City beach, Texas woman's body found buried

Early morning beachgoers found the body of a Texas vacationer in a hole in the sand on the Ocean City beach Monday morning, authorities said.

Ocean City police were alerted at about 6:30 a.m. July 31 when beachgoers found a body near Second Street and told town employees, Ocean City Communications Manager Jessica Waters confirmed.

The identity of the person found is Ashley O'Connor, 30, of Plano, Texas, Waters said Monday afternoon. O'Connor was vacationing in the resort town with her parents, Waters said.

O'Connor got separated from her family around 2 a.m., Waters said, and was not missing long before her body was found.

Waters said O'Connor's death appears to be accidental, but they have not yet ruled out anything.

The Ocean City Police Forensics Services Unit recovered the body from the sand with assistance from Maryland State Police crime scene technicians, Ocean City officials said.

"The victim was in a hole on the beach," Waters said.

MORE:  GoFundMe site launched for woman police say drowned in sand on OC beach

The body was removed at about 4:15 p.m. and will be evaluated by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, who will determine a cause and manner of death.

Law enforcement officers remained at the scene for several hours gathering evidence before clearing the scene, Waters said.

For much of the day, a large section of the beach was roped off with crime scene tape, black plastic barriers and trash barrels, while the site where the body was found remained under investigation. Many pieces of beach sweeping equipment stood inactive nearby.

Waters said the beach sweeping equipment was present to help shield the scene from onlookers.

Near the location of the body, investigators were up to their waists in sand.

RECAP:  Ocean City sees string of accidents in past two weeks

Beachgoers were not deterred, and continued their regular activities. Although some stopped to watch the spectacle, most seemed unaffected by the grim activity going on around them.

Vacationers Karen and Matthew Lavery of Morgantown, West Virginia, were staying at a nearby hotel and saw the police activity this morning.

While they decided not to check out the scene themselves, they heard a buzz about what happen throughout the day.

Once the site was cleared, they headed to the beach.

"It wasn't going to keep us off the beach all day, not when we're only here for a few days," Karen Lavery said.

Tara and Kenny Spratt had also heard different reports about what happened at the beach. The New York couple hoped at least with Monday's discovery that a family would have some peace of mind about their loved one.

"It's very sad, but maybe some good can come from it," said Tara Spratt. "At least the family can have some closures." 

Daily Times Staff Writer Rose Velazquez contributed to this report.