OC Seeks Dismissal Of $1M Civil Suit Over Beach Death

OCEAN CITY – The Town of Ocean City filed a formal motion to dismiss the $1 million civil suit brought by the family of a woman who was found deceased and buried on the beach in July 2017.

The suit was filed by the decedent’s mother, Gayla Lutyk, through her attorneys in July, just one week from the two-year anniversary of the tragic incident on July 31, 2017. The negligence suit seeks $1 million in compensatory damages.

On July 31, 2017, the Ocean City Public Works Department’s beach cleaning crews were completing their overnight duties between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. when they discovered a deceased woman on the beach at 2nd Street later identified as Ashley O’Connor, 30, of Plano, Texas. The victim was buried in the sand with just a forearm and hand exposed.

The Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) Forensics Unit, with assistance from Maryland State Police crime scene technicians, processed the scene and removed the victim’s body from the sand around 4:15 p.m. that afternoon, or several hours after it was first discovered. The victim was evaluated by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, who determined the cause of death was accidental and the manner of death was asphyxia due to suffocation.

OCPD detectives determined 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.

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