McLane's death was ruled suicide. Those who knew him had differing opinions as to this verdict, with some emphasizing the stress that he had faced as a result of the post-fire reconstruction. In 2004, researchers from "the Baltimore Sun" pointed out that McLane had gotten married two weeks before his death, which could have alleviated his stress, but that his family had refused to attend the wedding because his wife was 12 years older than him and from the wrong social class ("the smart set" as opposed to "the retiring aristocratic sort"), which could have exacerbated it. They also pointed out that McLane left no suicide note, and that he had written a letter earlier that day describing his plans for the following week. In 1986, "Sun" columnist Theo Lippman, Jr. cited a 1956 letter to the editor which claimed that "many of us feel confident that we know that was murdered and also who the murderer was and also the motive for that crime", but which did not provide further details.