On Sunday, August 7, Sean Nagel, a 35-year-old man from Stuart, may have been enjoying a peaceful morning at the beach on Hutchinson Island, taking photos of the sunrise. 

The photography session ended badly.

A shocking scene greeted a beachgoer walking along Martin County Rock beach when they found a man’s feet sticking out from the sand. The discovery was made around 9 a.m near the House of Refuge Museum.

Officials from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office identified Sean Nagel, and attempted to resuscitate him, unsuccessfully. Upon examination, officers found sand in the victim’s lungs. An investigation led them to conclude that Nagel died from asphyxia, or oxygen deprivation, due to being trapped under the sand. 

As part of police standard procedure, tests on Nagel’s body were done. A news release said that foul play was ruled out.  Sheriff William Snyder declared the time of death to be around 5 a.m or 6 a.m. No other information was released by the police but Snyder shared that this is the first time that he saw anything like this in his years of service.

“Somehow while he was there, inexplicably, we don’t know why, that beach erosion, mountain of sand, collapsed on him,” Snyder said. “Obviously, he was unable to get out, and he expired. The cause of death is asphyxiation.”

According to the detectives, Nagel might have been taking a video of the sunrise while lying underneath a sand dune when the tragic incident happened. Along with his body, they also retrieved a GoPro camera and a plastic bag.

Jim Moir, an Indian River keeper, said that the sand dune that Nagel was resting on was possibly artificially formed. He also said that sand on unnatural dunes, like most of those in Martin Country, are unstable due to renourishment.

Hutchinson Island is located on the east coast of Florida, about 55 miles north of West Palm Beach.