A police vehicle blocks the road to Dawn Beach after the body was discovered on Wednesday. The pickup truck at right was impounded as part of the investigation. (John Halley photo)
DAWN BEACH--Authorities are seeking the assistance of the public in finding out the identity of a man whose badly decomposed corpse was found “a few yards” from the road in the bushes at Dawn Beach on Wednesday.
Someone who went wandering in the area stumbled on the body and contacted the police. Prosecutor Martin Noordzij told The Daily Herald the man’s identity was still not known. The ethnicity of the body could not be ascertained immediately due to the stage of decomposition.
Noordzij said the body had been lying at the location for a lengthy period. He declined to give an indication as to what clothing the individual was wearing so as not to compromise the investigation.
Foul play is suspected, but authorities are still looking into the matter to determine the exact cause of death. An autopsy will be performed as soon as the pathologist can come to St. Maarten.
The Prosecutor urges anyone who has a missing person in their surroundings to contact the police. “We are looking to identify him and we need the public to assist,” Noordzij said.
