Police are reinvestigating the death of an Ohio man who allegedly fell to his death while attempting a handstand from a balcony during Hurricane Ian, after family suggested he died some other way.
Markell Hope, 34, was staying at the Patricia Grand Hotel in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, when he jumped from the 15th-floor balcony around 3 p.m. on Sept. 30.
The Horry County Coroner’s Office originally claimed Hope fell while he was in a handstand, but told Dailymail.com they are backing down on the 34-year-old’s cause of death and are now looking into other theories.
It is unclear why police concluded that Hope was attempting a handstand at the time of his death, and if he was alone while he was staying at the hotel.
His family, however, took to Facebook in search of a woman who they believe was present at the time and is now “in hiding.”
“There was a disagreement with the family,” a spokesman for the coroner’s office said. They disagree with the finding. It is still under investigation.
Hope’s relatives were quick to demand answers.
“Where’s the proof?” Jerry Tennant wrote on Facebook. ‘Who else was there? Once I saw the photos of the balcony, I knew this story was bs. Markell would not go there. I know in my heart that there is much more to this story.’
Markell Hope, 34, was staying at the Patricia Grand Hotel when he jumped from the balcony on September 30. The Horry County Coroner’s Office originally claimed he died while doing a handstand, but is now retracting that claim.
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Police are reinvestigating Hope’s death after they originally said he died in a fall from the 15th floor of a Myrtle Beach hotel room.
Family members are seeking answers about how Hope died amid the ongoing investigation into his death. They went to Facebook looking for a woman who they believe was present at the time.
Hope was visiting South Carolina in the midst of the Category 4 hurricane that hit Florida last week. The search for survivors continues as the death toll tops 100 in the Sunshine State with four other deaths in North Carolina as of Monday.
The search for hurricane survivors continues as the storm resulted in about $60 billion in damage.
Some people had entire homes destroyed, especially in the 40-square-mile block of Pine Island in Lee County, Florida, which is home to 8,420 people, according to the Census Reporter. Lee County has suffered the most deaths with 54 reported to date.
Some islanders have returned to the ruins of the island to recover some of their belongings in what they can collect in plastic bags. Some valuables were deemed unrecoverable after being covered in mold.
‘Goodbye home,’ wrote businesswoman Alexandra Fasulo on Instagram along with several videos of her Pine Island community seen mostly underwater with the outlines of houses exposed.
‘My house is trashed, most of my things are trashed and my home community is washed out to sea. I was able to rescue 3 garbage bags with clothes. I had to leave the rest behind as mold has taken over the entire house. Materials can be replaced, sure, but the time I’ve spent collecting books, antiques, and clothing items that I’ve owned for 10 years is not. It’s the wasted time that hurts.
Source: https://wikisoon.com/
