(Dec. 3, 2010) Investigators are still trying to determine the identity of a man whose body washed up on Assateague Island four weeks ago. A park ranger found the body Nov. 6 while patrolling a remote stretch of Assateague Island National Seashore near the north end of the island. The body was badly decomposed and clad only in a pair of jeans and a belt when it was found in the surf.
Cpl. Jon Johnson of the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation, the lead detective working the case, said the body did not match any current missing persons cases from the area.
Investigators continue to check with law enforcement agencies in the region when new missing persons reports are made. Johnson said no new reports filed in the weeks since the body was found matched the description.
Police described the body as an adult white male, approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing between 140 and 160 pounds.
The body was clothed in Levis denim blue jeans and a black Patagonia belt.
The body was sent to Baltimore for an autopsy at the Medical Examiner’s Office to make an identification and to determine the cause of death.
The condition of the body when it was found prevented police from determining whether foul play was involved.
The medical examiner has not yet completed the examination of the body so police are still waiting for those results, Johnson said Tuesday.
The area where the body was found is considered one of the most remote areas of the park, located almost seven miles north of the state park and two kilometers south of the Ocean City Inlet.
The area can only be reached by boat from Ocean City or by traveling along the sand in a vehicle.
