The family of Orange County Deputy Public Defender Elliot Blair, who died in Mexico on Saturday in what his family says was a “brutal crime,” has issued their first statement on his death, which includes accusations of foul play and suspicious conduct by Mexican authorities.
Blair, 33, was celebrating his first wedding anniversary at Las Rocas Resort and Spa in Rosarito Beach with his wife, Kim, when he was killed. The Mexican website Patrol 646 said he was intoxicated and died when he fell from a fourth-floor balcony. Still, the family denied it, saying the tragic incident took place in an “outdoor hallway located outside the front door of his bedroom.” They also said the incident did not occur on “any balcony.”
As of Tuesday night, the Blair family said they had not received any communication from Rosarito Beach police, the district attorney’s office or any other Mexican official other than a link to the coroner’s office. At around 2 p.m. Monday, the messenger, a man, said he had been in contact with the medical examiner’s office that performed the autopsy.
It said Blair’s cause of death was “severe head trauma” and that her case would be referred to the local prosecutor’s office for a “possible homicide investigation.” The man also said that the toxicology report had not yet been completed.
CALIFORNIA PUBLIC DEFENDER MYSTERIOUSLY DIES IN MEXICO ON 1-YEAR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY: REPORTS
Orange County Deputy Public Defender Elliot Blair was “tragically murdered” while on vacation in Rosarito, Mexico, on January 14, his family says.
(GoFundMe)
The statement says the family has informed the man that they will be hiring a private investigation firm and an independent forensic pathologist. They also said they would conduct their own toxicology analysis.
“Due to the inadequacy of the investigation, the family feels compelled to conduct their own private investigation in search of the truth,” the statement read.
A liaison with the funeral home suggested to Blair’s family that her body be cremated, a suggestion continued since her death, according to the statement. No reason was provided for the suggestion.
The family insisted otherwise to carry out their investigation into his death.
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A Google Earth image shows Las Rocas Resort and Spa in Rosarito Beach, Mexico, which is approximately 20 minutes south of Tijuana.
(Google Earth)
Although the family has not obtained any information from Mexican authorities, they came across a news article that quoted Mexican authorities as saying that Blair’s death appeared to be an “unfortunate accident,” according to the statement.
“It is very unfortunate that throughout this devastating ordeal, Kim, his loving wife, has received multiple versions of what happened to Elliot,” the statement read.
The couple had reportedly stayed at the resort on multiple occasions in the past five years, and had stayed in the same room on the third floor more than once. The family said Blair was “very familiar” with the layout of the complex, including hallways and walkways.
They also said they found him in his underwear, nightshirt and socks, and that he was not intoxicated. They added that he was fluent in Spanish.
According to the family, the beach police department has conducted little or no investigation. Patrol 646 reported that personnel from the State Attorney General’s Office in Mexico took charge of the investigation and removal of the body.
California public defender Elliot Blair and his wife, Kim, smile in a photo on a GoFundMe page.
(GoFundMe)
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The family’s statement ended with the following statement:
“Elliot was a brilliant lawyer with a bright future. Elliot’s smile was radiant and warmed the hearts of everyone he came in contact with. Elliot had an innate ability to connect with people from all walks of life. Elliot he was a loving husband, son and brother. Elliot’s tragic, untimely and suspicious death has left his family and community with a huge hole in their hearts that will never be mended.”
As of Wednesday night, more than $106,000 had been donated to a GoFundMe page intended to help his wife “with the cumbersome process involved in transporting Elliot’s body from Mexico to the US and dealing with all the red tape.”
Fox News’ Matt Finn contributed to this report.
