Lawsuit filed in death of woman found buried in Ocean City beach sand

OCEAN CITY, Md. - The mother of a Texas woman found dead on a Maryland beach with just an arm above the sand has filed a lawsuit against the town where the death occurred.

In the suit filed Wednesday, Gayla Lutyk and her attorney say negligence by Ocean City, Maryland, workers caused 30-year-old Ashley O'Connor to be trapped in the sand sometime after 2 a.m. on July 31, 2017.

The lawsuit says workers didn't investigate whether anyone was on the beach before twice driving a tractor over O'Connor as it covered holes.

Ocean City officials had stated that a medical examiner ruled O'Connor's death accidental, caused by asphyxia due to suffocation.

Attorneys for the town and O'Connor's family, as well as town officials, didn't immediately respond Friday to the Salisbury Daily Times' request for comment.