A California public defender mysteriously died while celebrating his first wedding anniversary at a resort in Mexico over the weekend. The family of 33-year-old Elliot Blair believes he was a victim of a "brutal crime" and plans to investigate his unfortunate death independently, claiming it does not believe the findings of Mexican authorities.
Blair reportedly died in the early morning hours of January 14 outside his hotel room at the Las Rocas Resort and Spa in Rosarito Beach, Mexico. He was vacationing there to celebrate his wedding anniversary with his wife, Kim Williams, according to the family's lawyer, David Scarsone, per NBC News.
Annie Rodriguez, a close friend and colleague who launched a GoFundMe to raise money for Williams, said the family has not received any information from Mexican officials regarding Blair's death. Instead, they obtained updates through a "liaison" to the local coroner's office.
An autopsy was performed.
Mexican officials claim Blair was drunk and seemingly fell to his death from a third-floor balcony, KTLA 5 reported. In a statement issued on January 16, the liaison told the family Blair had died from severe head trauma, and that the case would be forwarded to the district attorney's office in Baja California, Mexico, as a potential homicide investigation, according to the GoFundMe. A toxicology report has not been completed, the liaison said.
Blair's family believes he was a "victim of a brutal crime," and say they plan to take action against Mexican officials who have provided minimal information about the lawyer's death.
"The family informed the liaison that they would be conducting their own independent investigation, specifically hiring a private investigation firm, retaining an independent forensic pathologist to conduct a medical examination, including their own toxicology analysis," Rodriguez wrote on GoFundMe.
The Baja California attorney general's office released a statement confirming the autopsy findings.
The attorney general's office in Baja California says that after an autopsy was performed, it appears that Blair's death was the “result of an unfortunate accident from a fall by the now deceased from a third-story floor," according to The Orange County Register.
Instead of disclosing that information to the family directly, Mexican officials have confirmed they are working with US officials to relay updates to Blair's loved ones.
Blair's widow's family has also hired a private investigator to investigate the mysterious death. "We have reasons to believe, and evidence, that there was possible foul play" but don't want to compromise the investigation, the family told ABC7.
One of Blair's colleagues from the Orange County Public Defender's Office said he's also working with officials regarding the incident.
“We have been in communication with the family and are doing what we can to support them in this difficult time, including working with local and federal officials to help provide them with answers,” Public Defender Martin Schwarz told the newspaper.
In an interview with ABC 7, Schwarz described Blair as a "devoted husband, terrific person and a fantastic lawyer who dedicated his life to serving his clients and helping the county's most vulnerable."
"He impacted countless lives and his loss will be felt deeply by all who knew him," Schwarz added. "We have been in communication with the family and are doing what we can to support them in this difficult time, including working with local and federal officials to help provide them with answers," he added.
Blair and his wife have both been public defenders in Orange County since 2017.
"Elliot was a compassionate lawyer who dedicated his life to serving indigent clients. Elliot was known as a patient and caring advocate," Rodriguez said in the GoFundMe post.
"There are not enough words to express the level of love he had for Kim. Kim was his life. They just started building a life together in their first year of marriage. Elliot was killed on their one-year wedding anniversary. Kim's heart is shattered."
"He was the best of us and was loved by countless members of our office and the Orange County legal community. We are heartbroken," Rodriguez noted.
