Burial at Sea Backfires After Corpse Surfaces

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Burial at sea: One of those things the Navy's better at.

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Daniel Lasky's dead body was dumped in the sea, but not because he was murdered -- though that's what investigators first feared.

Rather, the 63-year-old Lasky died of Lou Gehrig's disease last week and was given a burial at his sea by his family on September 10, a tribute to Lasky's love for the ocean. The following morning, fishermen encountered Lasky's body about four miles from Port Everglades, and Broward Sheriff's Office opened a homicide investigation.

Here's an excerpt from the BSO release:

While investigating the circumstances surrounding Lasky's death, BSO detectives learned the fisherman's discovery was part of a family's desire to honor their love one's wishes. Lasky's final resting place was published in the Hickory Daily Record on Sept. 10.

The obituary announced, "Burial will be at sea." So Lasky's family left Hickory, North Carolina Sept. 9 and stopped overnight in Daytona Beach before arriving in Fort Lauderdale the morning of Sept. 10. After arriving in Fort Lauderdale they boarded the "Mary B III" and headed out to sea. Attending the committal service were Lasky's wife, his pastor, a few other family members, the boat's captain and his crew. The family and friends said their final goodbyes, completed the ocean burial, and went fishing in honor of Lasky before returning ashore.

Full release is here. If this sounds like déjà vu to you literary types, it's because this story is pretty much a real-life version of a Faulkner novel.