Man Found Dead in Parking Lot on Carolina Beach Road, NC, Under Investigation
A man was found dead Tuesday morning in a parking lot on Carolina Beach Road in New Hanover County. Detectives are investigating at multiple locations; no public threat identified.
Dead Man Found at Carolina Beach Road Parking Lot; Detectives Pursue Multiple Leads
The New Hanover County Sheriff's Office is investigating after a man was discovered dead in the parking lot of Saltwater Marine, in the 6100 block of Carolina Beach Road, wect.com reports. Deputies arrived at the scene shortly before 7 a.m. on Tuesday, 16 June.
Authorities have not yet released the victim's identity or any details about the circumstances surrounding the death.
The investigation has extended to several locations along Carolina Beach Road, including Saltwater Marine and the adjacent Hanover Pines Nature Park, which sit opposite each other on the road. WECT crews at the scene reported seeing what appeared to be trails of blood on the road.
A local visitor, Shelley Watson, was at Hanover Pines Nature Park early that morning and unknowingly picked up a piece of evidence. "I backed into the handicap parking spot, and as soon as I opened the door, I saw an iPhone on the ground," Watson said. She took the device back to her hotel, intending to return it to its owner if someone called.
Within roughly 15 minutes of Watson leaving the park, law enforcement sealed off the entire area around Carolina Beach Road and the park as part of the investigation. Sheriff's investigators subsequently contacted Watson through an Apple feature that allows iPhones to share information when they come into contact with one another. "I went surfing, and when I came back, the sheriff's office was calling my phone a lot, texting," she said.
Officers met Watson at her hotel to retrieve the device. "They told me they were at my hotel and they needed this phone," she said. "They said it was part of this investigation." The Sheriff's Office confirmed they located the phone through Watson in the course of their inquiry.
Watson said she hopes the handset proves useful to detectives. "The officer kept saying, 'we're really glad you found this phone, this was like a missing piece,'" she recalled.
Hanover Pines Nature Park, which opened in 2024, is a well-used green space for both residents and visitors. Neighbour Jenny Sauer, a regular at the park, said the incident had left her unsettled. "It's uncomfortable enough that I don't think I'll come alone and go deeply down the trails for a bit," Sauer said.
The Sheriff's Office stated that investigators believe the death to be an isolated incident and that there is no known threat to the public. Detectives continue to actively investigate the circumstances surrounding the death. The case remains ongoing.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)