Investigators: Face Scratches a Clue to ER Actress's Death

Rep says Mary Mara may have had accidental fall before drowning
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 28, 2022 12:55 AM CDT
Updated Jun 29, 2022 10:10 AM CDT
ER Actress Drowns in New York River
View of Cape Vincent and the St. Lawrence River.   (Getty Images / ChrisBoswell)

Update: Investigators believe actress Mary Mara may have suffered an accident before drowning in upstate New York on Sunday. That's according to rep Craig Dorfman, who tells TMZ that investigators found abrasions on Mara's face. Based on those abrasions, they think she may have fallen and hit her head after getting out of the St. Lawrence River, one of her favorite places to swim, causing her to drop into the river and drown, the outlet reports. Mara was reportedly staying at her sister's summer home in Cape Vincent, which is located on the river, per the New York Post. Our original story from Monday follows:

Mary Mara, who appeared on television shows including Ray Donovan, Dexter, and ER in an acting career that spanned more than 30 years, has died in what New York authorities said appeared to be a drowning accident. The New York State Police said Monday a woman identified as Mara, 61, was found shortly after 8am Sunday in the St. Lawrence River near Cape Vincent, in upstate New York close to the Canadian border, the AP reports. Police said that an official cause of death is still pending, but that there were no signs of foul play and that it appeared Mara drowned while swimming.

"Mary was one of the finest actresses I ever met," Mara's manager, Craig Dorfman, told NBC News. "She was electric, funny, and a true individual. Everyone loved her. She will be missed." Her earliest acting credit goes back to the 1989 movie The Preppie Murder. The New York native worked regularly ever since, in a combination of repeat characters in some shows and appearances in others. She acted in movies including Blue Steel with Jamie Lee Curtis, Mr. Saturday Night with Billy Crystal, and Prom Night, and she appeared in TV series including Nash Bridges and Law & Order. Her last credit was in 2020, in a movie called Break Even. (More obituary stories.)

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