Elliot Blair, California public defender who died in Mexico, was “victim of a brutal crime,” family says

A household is looking for solutions after a Southern California public defender died in Mexico over the weekend whereas celebrating his first marriage ceremony anniversary, CBS Los Angeles reports. 

Elliot Blair, 33, died at his resort in Rosarito, Baja Mexico on Saturday.

The circumstances surrounding Blair’s dying nonetheless stay unclear, as Mexican authorities have but to reveal many particulars thus far. 

His household says the Orange County lawyer was killed, opposite to what Mexican officers have claimed up to now. They allege that Blair died in a “tragic accident” on the Las Rocas Resort. 

“The household of Elliot Blair is completely reeling from the tragic dying of this superb younger man who was in Rosarito Seaside celebrating his first marriage ceremony anniversary,” the household mentioned in a press release. “The household, which has intensive authorized coaching in legal regulation, wholeheartedly believes primarily based on their preliminary investigation, that Elliot was the sufferer of a brutal crime.”

They aren’t alone in believing that Blair was killed through the journey.

“I personally do not put lots of credence in what the Mexican authorities say,” John Jenks, non-public investigator and enterprise associate of Blair’s, instructed CBS Los Angeles. “The article I learn mentioned that he died of a tragic accident and my query is what proof do you base that conclusion on?”

As his household works with the US officers to study extra, Tijuana-based media has reported that the Baja California Prosecutor’s Workplace dominated that Blair died of head trauma from falling off his resort balcony. 

One local outlet reported that Blair fell from the fourth ground of the resort and should have been “drunk.”  Of their assertion, the household says he “was not intoxicated on the time of this incident” and “the incident didn’t happen off their room’s non-public balcony, nor any balcony, for that matter.”

The Blair household maintains that there was foul play concerned, stating that nobody from the Rosarito Seaside Police Division or the Mexican authorities has reached out to talk to them. 

“He was the sufferer of a brutal crime,” says a GoFundMe arrange for Blair’s spouse, Kim, who can be a public defender.  “All donated funds can be utilized by Kim and Elliot’s household of their seek for solutions and to assist Kim with any private funds as she grieves her Elliot.”

Learn the Blair household’s full assertion right here:

“The household of Elliot Blair is completely reeling from the tragic dying of this superb younger man who was in Rosarito Seaside celebrating his first marriage ceremony anniversary. The household, which has intensive authorized coaching in legal regulation, wholeheartedly believes primarily based on their preliminary investigation, that Elliot was the sufferer of a brutal crime. We’re sorry that it has taken so lengthy to launch a press release, because the household was hopeful of promised info by the Mexican authorities. Nevertheless, it seems that info is not going to be immediately disseminated to the household.

The household is devastated that since this incident, nobody from the Rosarito Seaside Police Division, their district legal professional’s workplace, or another Mexican officers have reached out and spoken to them immediately.

The one communication that the household has acquired has been by a liaison to the coroner’s workplace. Yesterday, January 16, at roughly 2:00 pm the liaison indicated that he had been in direct contact with the medical expert’s workplace that carried out an post-mortem. The liaison indicated that the reason for dying was extreme head trauma and that the case had been forwarded to the district legal professional’s workplace to conduct a potential murder investigation. The liaison additionally suggested that as of that point, the toxicology report had not been accomplished.

The household knowledgeable the liaison that they’d be conducting their very own unbiased investigation, particularly hiring a personal investigation agency, retaining an unbiased forensic pathologist to conduct a medical examination, together with their very own toxicology evaluation.

All through this complete course of, it has been instructed by the Mexican authorities that Elliot’s physique be cremated. Yesterday, throughout a dialog with the funeral house liaison, it was once more instructed he be cremated and the household insisted his physique not be cremated to be able to conduct a radical, full, unbiased investigation.

Inside simply hours of this dialog, the household independently got here throughout a information article that quoted “Mexican officers” stating that this gave the impression to be an “unlucky accident.* These “Mexican officers” nonetheless haven’t reached out to the household with this info.

As well as, it’s extremely unlucky that all through this complete devastating ordeal, Kim, his loving spouse, has been given a number of variations of what occurred to Elliot. The one actual details which can be identified are this: 

a. Elliot and Kim had stayed at Las Rocas Resort and Spa on a number of events up to now 5 years.

b. Elliot was a fluent Spanish-speaker.

c. Moreover, Elliot and Kim had stayed on this particular room on the third ground on a number of events.

d. Elliot was very accustomed to the structure of Las Rocas Resort and Spa, in addition to its hallways and walkways.

e. The incident didn’t happen off their room’s non-public balcony, nor any balcony, for that matter.

f . The incident occurred in an open-air walkway situated outdoors the entrance door of their room at Las Rocas Resort and Spa.

g. Elliot was not intoxicated on the time of this incident.

h. Elliot was present in his underwear, his sleeping tee shirt, and socks.

i. Little to no investigation into the circumstances into Elliot’s dying was carried out by the Rosarito Seaside Police Division.

j. Because of the insufficiency of the investigation, the household feels compelled to conduct their very own non-public investigation in seek for the reality.

Elliot was a superb legal professional with a brilliant future. Elliot’s smile was radiant and warmed the hearts of each particular person he got here in touch with. Elliot had an innate capability to attach with individuals from all walks of life. Elliot was a loving husband, son, and brother. Elliot’s tragic, premature, and suspicious dying has left his household and neighborhood with an enormous gap of their hearts that may by no means be repaired.”