OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND — Digging holes in the sand is just part of a day at the beach, but for a newlywed woman on vacation, a deep hole in the dark quickly became her grave.
Texas woman Ashley O'Connor, 30, was last spotted walking around on the beach sometime after 2 a.m. on July 31. The next morning around 6:30 a.m., beachgoers spotted a limp arm sticking out of the sand and reported it to authorities. After rescue crews cordoned off the area and dug up the body, it was later identified as O'Connor's.
In Ocean City, posted beach regulations stipulate holes must not be dug more than knee-deep of the smallest person in the group. An Ocean City beach patrol officer told CBS News affiliate WJZ that holes dug in the sand can quickly cave in and collapse, burying unsuspecting victims because "the pressure of it is very, very difficult to get out."
Currently, investigators do not suspect any foul play. It is not known who dug the hole and carelessly left it behind. WJZ reports that globally, 31 people have died from similar sand traps over the past decade.
