The family of an attorney who suddenly died in Mexico while celebrating his wedding anniversary says the facts from Mexican officials are contradicting one another and want an independent autopsy in the US.
Attorney dies suddenly in Mexico, but how he died is unclear
Elliot Blair, a 33-year-old Southern California attorney, died suddenly on January 14 while in Rosarito, Baja California, during a vacation with his wife where the couple were celebrating their wedding anniversary.
Blair and his wife, Kimberly Williams, both worked as public defenders in Orange County, Yahoo reported.
How did Blair die? Mexican officials give contradicting causes of death
What is confusing the matter for Blair’s family, as they try to piece together what happened, is that Mexican officials are offering contradicting explanations for the manner in which the attorney died.
Version #1: Blair was shot
A GoFundMe page that was organized on Blair’s wife’s behalf, describes his death as a “brutal crime.” An attorney representing the family said Mexican officials at the scene told Williams her husband suffered a gunshot wound to the head.
Version #2: Blair died from a fall
Other Mexican officials contradicted the first account, telling the family that Blair died as the result of a fall. A report from a Tijuana-based media said the Baja California Prosecutor’s Office ruled that Blair died of head trauma from falling off his hotel balcony, CBS reported. Another outlet said Blair fell from the fourth floor and may have been “under the influence of alcohol.”
However, the family and other witnesses who were with him at night say they did not see Blair drunk.
According to a statement from the family, Blair “was not intoxicated at the time of this incident” and “the incident did not occur off their room’s private balcony, nor any balcony, for that matter.”
Family believes foul play involved, wants body returned to US for independent autopsy
Blair’s family maintains that foul play was involved in his death, and stated that no one from the Rosarito Beach Police Department or the Mexican government has reached out to speak to them.
The family is now working toward bringing Blair’s body back to the United States for an independent autopsy.
An attorney for the family is working with local police in an attempt to “get his body back and we can get some of those reports so we can see for ourselves what information they actually have.”
Speaking to BuzzFeed News, a spokesperson for the US State Department said “they were aware of Blair’s death and will be ready to assist the family to ‘provide all appropriate consular assistance.'”
