The death of an American attorney at a Mexico hotel did not show signs of violence, official says

By Stephanie Elam and Andy Rose, CNN

Mexican authorities investigating the case of an American attorney who was found dead at a resort hotel earlier this month determined there was no foul play in his death, according to an official statement released Thursday.

Elliot Blair, 33, died from severe head trauma, suffering injuries consistent with “a fall from a height, ruling out traces of violence in the body of the lawyer produced by a firearm or sharp instrument,” according to the attorney general’s office in the Mexican state of Baja California.

The findings are based on results of an autopsy conducted by the Judiciary Forensic Medical Service, the office of Attorney General Ricardo Iván Carpio Sánchez said in the written statement.

Previously, the attorney general’s office said Blair’s death appeared to be the “result of an unfortunate accident from a fall by the now deceased from a third-story floor,” according to its statement to the Orange County Register.

Earlier this week, Blair’s family indicated the attorney was a victim of a brutal crime.

“The family, which has extensive legal training in criminal law, wholeheartedly believes based on their initial investigation, that Elliot was the victim of a brutal crime,” according to a family statement provided by their attorney, David Scarsone.

CNN reached out to the Blair family’s attorney for more information.

Blair — who served as a deputy public defender in Orange County, California — was celebrating his first wedding anniversary with his wife, Kim, in Mexico at the Las Rocas Resort in Rosarito Beach, about 45 miles south of San Diego.

He was found dead last Saturday on the property near the area of the stairs that lead to the parking lot, Mexican authorities said.

“Elliot was known for a smile on his face and a clever mind,” a GoFundMe created in Blair’s honor reads. “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.”

The fundraiser — which has exceed its goal of $100,000 — was set up to help Blair’s family return his body to the US.

Family disputes Mexican authorities’ account

According to the attorney general’s office in Baja California, Blair’s body had “signs of alcohol.” However, the family has disputed that notion.

“Elliot was not intoxicated at the time of this incident,” the family said.

The family also said they told a coroner’s liaison they’ll hire a private firm to conduct an independent investigation that includes toxicology. The liaison had told them a toxicology report had not been completed, they said.

Blair’s family has also refused to cremate his body, underscoring that a funeral home has relayed to them that authorities have recommended that process.

Another key detail the family has disputed is the location of the death, saying Blair died outside the room’s front door in an open-air walkway, according to the family statement.

Blair and his wife has stayed at that hotel multiple times in the past five years, according to the GoFundMe page.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

CNN’s Karol Suarez, Melissa Alonso and Chuck Johnston contributed to this report.