FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A 35-year-old man whose body was found sticking out of the sand on Florida's east coast possibly died when a sand dune collapsed on him, according to the Martin County Sheriff's Office.
The man, said to be from Stuart, Florida, was spotted by someone walking along the beach early Monday morning south of the House of Refuge on Hutchinson Island, the agency said in a statement.
That person then called for help.
Deputies say it appears the man was resting under a sand dune to take a video of a sunrise, but the dune shifted and trapped him under the sand. Authorities believe he died from asphyxia.
"Investigators are awaiting toxicology tests, which is standard," the sheriff's office said. "Those test, [sic] however, are not likely to change the outcome of this incident being a tragic accident."