As family, friends, and fans continue to mourn her loss, new details are emerging in the drowning death of ER and Criminal Minds actress Mary Mara. On Wednesday, just hours after news of her death first broke, TMZ reported that authorities now believe blunt trauma to the head may have contributed to Mara’s drowning death. She was 61.
The new details came from Craig Dorfman, Mara’s representative, who told TMZ that investigators recently informed the actress’ family that when her body was recovered from St. Lawrence River in Cape Vincent, New York, Mara had abrasions to her face. The injuries have led to a working theory that Mara slipped and hit her head after getting out of the water, causing her to fall back into the water and drown. Although it’s only currently considered a working theory, Dorfman said authorities informed the family they “believe the only logical explanation is she came in contact with some object that either rendered her unconscious or debilitated.”Dorfman added that he and Mara’s family do not believe drugs or alcohol played a role in her death.
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Per a statement from New York State Police, Mara’s body was transported to the Jefferson County Medical Examiner’s Office, pending a planned autopsy. An investigation into Mara’s death is ongoing, though authorities confirmed that Mara’s body “showed no signs of foul play” and their current findings indicate “the victim drowned while swimming.”
In a statement confirming her death Tuesday, Dorfman remembered Mara as “one of the finest actresses I ever met.” He added, “I still remember seeing her onstage in 1992 in Mad Forest off-Broadway. She was electric, funny and a true individual. Everyone loved her. She will be missed.” In an obituary for the actress shared with PEOPLE, Mara’s family remembered her as “a gifted character actor” who worked across film, television and on the stage off-Broadway. They said Mara specialized in “complex portrayals of often-troubled characters,” adding, “her 32-year career in film and television resembled that of a veteran utility infielder who just missed stardom but always played for winning teams.”
Born in Syracuse, New York in 1960, Mara attended San Francisco State University and Yale School of Drama before beginning her film and TV career in 1989 with the television movie The Preppie Murder. She went on to add more than 80 screen credits to her name across three decades, with her credits including ER, Criminal Minds, Dexter, Nash Bridges, NYPD Blue, Ray Donovan, Lost, Shameless, The West Wing, 7th Heaven, Monk, Bones, Prom Night, The Hard Way, and A Civil Action, among dozens of others. She is survived by her stepdaughter, Catie Mersola; her sister, Martha Mara; her sister and a brother-in-law, Susan Mara and Scott Dailey; and nephew, Christopher Dailey.
