Authorities rule developer Steve Walsh's death suicide

Steve Walsh

Florida authorities have determined that developer Steve Walsh died last week from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest. They have ruled his death a suicide, Winter Park (Fla.) police said Tuesday.

Walsh, 61, was found dead at his Winter Park home on June 25 after he failed to show up for a meeting.

He was the managing partner of Broad Street Partners, which formed in Charleston in 1994 and has offices in the Lowcountry, Florida and North Carolina. His wife, Paula, was reportedly in Charleston when Walsh died.

Police carefully combed through evidence found at the home and conducted several interviews with people close to Walsh. In the end, everything pointed to suicide, Winter Park police Sgt. Pam Marcum said.

Walsh was found dead in the rear of the home with a box of his personal papers nearby. There was no sign of an intruder, and Walsh's relatives confirmed that nothing was missing from the home, Marcum said.

Police recovered a long gun from the property. No suicide note was found, she said.

The Orlando Sentinel reported that friends and business associates were stunned by his death.

They told the newspaper he appeared normal and happy in the days before he died. Walsh and his company had an estimated $1 billion in projects in the works in recent years, the newspaper reported.

Nathan Devault, spokesman for Broad Street Partners, said the company had no comment on the police findings.

Reach Glenn Smith at 937-5556 or gsmith@postandcourier.com.