Body Washes Up on Miami Beach, Police Investigating Possible Suicide

An early-morning beachgoer called Miami Beach Police shortly before 7 a.m. today to report a disturbing find: a body lying near the sea around 68th Street.The dead man had a gunshot wound to the head, Det. Juan Sanchez, a Miami Beach spokesman, tells Riptide. "Early indications are that it's self-inflicted,"...

By Tim Elfrink

August 9, 2011

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An early-morning beachgoer called Miami Beach Police shortly before 7 a.m. today to report a disturbing find: a body lying near the sea around 68th Street.

The dead man had a gunshot wound to the head, Det. Juan Sanchez, a Miami Beach spokesman, tells Riptide. "Early indications are that it's self-inflicted," he says.

Detectives erected a tent over the corpse and closed off a section of the beach this morning while they investigated the body, which was found at 6:48 a.m., Sanchez says.

Police haven't yet released the name or age of the victim.

The medical examiner will have to make a final ruling on whether suicide was indeed the likely cause of death.

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Tim Elfrink is a former investigative reporter and managing editor for Miami New Times. He has won the George Polk Award and was a finalist for the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting.

Contact: Tim Elfrink

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Twitter: @timelfrinkmia