The death of Axel James Aldridge, a 27-year-old resident found unconscious at the foot of the Nautilus condominiums in Flagler Beach early the morning of Jan. 6, is likely the result of an accident.
“After our meeting with the M.E.’s Office,” Flagler Beach Acting Chief Lance Blanchette said on Tuesday, referring to the medical examiner, “it looks like this is going to be listed as an accident.”
Aldridge lived in unit 806, on the eighth floor of the nine-floor building at 3580 South Oceanshore Boulevard, near the south end of Flagler Beach. Flagler Beach police officers were dispatched to that address at 7:29 a.m. on Jan. 6 to find Aldridge unresponsive. He had no pulse. An officer started chest compressions until paramedics arrived. Axel Aldridge was pronounced deceased at 7:40 a.m.
He had no identification on or near him, but other evidence found around Aldridge, including clothes and other indications, suggested he had fallen from the building. A person who contacted law enforcement said he had “seen the deceased with an older, taller white male on the 8th floor in room #608 (sic),” according to the preliminary incident report. (It appears the report misprinted the room number, intending 806.) The caller “believed the other male to be named ‘Scott.’”
A maintenance employee at the Nautilus told authorities that “there were always noise complaints and suspected drug use in that apartment,” according to the report.
Officers knocked at the door of Unit 806 and got no response. They used a maintenance key to gain entry to make sure there was no one else in the apartment and check for injured individuals, if any. No one was inside. Officers then re-secured the apartment to preserve what by then was a crime scene. Flagler Beach detective Rosanna Vinci, who identified Aldridge, investigated.
“It should be noted that while inside, I observed a used needle on the ground beside the bed,” the incident report states. Officers interviewed Scott Botka, 47, listed as the condo owner in the incident report, which reveals no further details. Blanchette said supplemental reports are in the works.
A note on an online tribute wall by his sister, Ashlie Anderson, hints at the difficulties Aldridge was struggling with: “Axel was the guy that was always ready to offer a helping hand or word of encouragement. He loved playing basketball and writing music, he loved his brothers and sisters, he loved his dog Max and riding bikes. There are so many things that I wish had gone differently, I’m so sorry that we could not keep you from the pain or heartache this life brings. You deserved so much more. I ask God why and struggle to understand His sovereignty in losing you. You endured so much and overcame so much. I pray that you have peace.”
Leave a Reply