DOVER, DELAWARE (1/30/2015) An autopsy is planned for Michael A. Zimmerman, the prominent real estate developer found dead in his waterfront home in the Windswept development near Dover this morning, state police said.
Zimmerman, 57, left a legacy of major commercial projects he had created, including the Compass Pointe building on Silver Lake in Dover, but also faced federal charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, making false statements to a financial institution and money laundering in connection with loans from Wilmington Trust Co.
Zimmerman was found in the home at 1895 Windswept Circle about 8:40 a.m. by his brother, who lived next door and visited daily.
He was found unresponsive on the dining room floor, police said, and pronounced dead after emergency medical crews arrived.
Detectives are still investigating but they do not suspect foul play, said Master Cpl. Gary Fournier, a police spokesman.
The Delaware Division of Forensic Science will be conducting the autopsy.
The Windswept development is off Route 10 and about a half mile west of Dover Air Force Base. Many of the homes, including Zimmerman’s, are along branches of the St. Jones River.
Zimmerman was facing a trial later this year on the bank fraud charges. According to the indictment issued in 2013, Wilmington Trust lost $26 million on loans for three Zimmerman projects in Kent and Sussex counties — Salt Pond Plaza, Compass Pointe, and Shoppes at Fieldstone — after he diverted money to unauthorized purposes.