An American attorney found dead in Mexico was 'the victim of a brutal crime,' his family claims - CNN

CNN  — 

An American nationalist defender who died this period while celebrating his archetypal wedding day successful Mexico “was the unfortunate of a brutal crime,” his household said, noting a coroner’s liaison told them the lawsuit was sent to a section authoritative “to behaviour a imaginable homicide investigation.”

Elliot Blair, 33, a lawman nationalist defender successful Orange County, California, died from “severe caput trauma,” the liaison said, citing an autopsy, according to a household connection provided by their attorney, David Scarsone.

Blair was recovered dormant Saturday astatine the Las Rocas Resort successful Rosarito Beach – a 45-mile thrust southbound of San Diego – wherever helium and his woman Kim were staying.

The Baja California Attorney General’s Office said the decease appeared to beryllium the “result of an unfortunate mishap from a autumn by the present deceased from a third-story floor,” according to its connection to the Orange County Register.

The bureau did not instantly respond to CNN’s petition for comment. Rosarito Beach constabulary did not instantly instrumentality CNN’s calls.

Blair’s household has not had interaction with Mexican instrumentality enforcement astir his death, they said.

“The family, which has extended ineligible grooming successful transgression law, wholeheartedly believes based connected their archetypal investigation, that Elliot was the unfortunate of a brutal crime,” its connection reads.

While Blair’s relatives bash not connection immoderate circumstantial grounds of a crime, they quality his decease occurred disconnected the couple’s edifice country balcony and accidental it happened extracurricular the room’s beforehand doorway successful an open-air walkway, according to the statement.

“Elliot was not intoxicated astatine the clip of this incident,” the household said, adding they told the coroner’s liaison they’ll prosecute a backstage steadfast to behaviour an autarkic investigation, including toxicology. The liaison had told them a toxicology study had not been completed, they said.

The family opposes cremation of Blair’s body, they said, noting that successful conversations with a ceremonial location they person been told respective times that authorities person recommended that process.

A fundraiser successful grant of Blair’s representation has been organized by a workfellow to assistance Blair’s woman with the “cumbersome process progressive successful transporting Elliot’s assemblage from Mexico to the USA and dealing with each the reddish tape,” reads the donation leafage acceptable up by Annie Rodriguez, to whom CNN has reached out.

“We privation we could supply everyone with much information, but precise constricted accusation has been disclosed by authorities successful Mexico,” it reads.

Elliot and Kim had been successful the nationalist defender’s bureau successful Orange County since 2017, the leafage states.

“Elliot was known for a grin connected his look and a clever mind,” the tract reads. “There are not capable words to explicit the level of emotion helium had for Kim. Kim was his life. They conscionable started gathering a beingness unneurotic successful their archetypal twelvemonth of marriage.”

Orange County Public Defender Martin Schwarz referred CNN to Scarsone.