Maryland Natural Resources Police are investigating what they believe to be a fatal hunting accident in which a La Plata man fell 21 feet to his death Saturday morning while trying to climb into a tree stand on his Dentsville property.

Albert Attanacio Castro, 62, suffered from medical issues which might have contributed to his death, according to a press release from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. His body has been sent to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy.

Castro’s tree stand was locked onto a tree with screw-in steps, the release states.

jnewman@somdnews.com