Memorial service held for Elliot Blair, OC public defender who died in Mexico while celebrating anniversary
Friends and family members gathered in Orange County on Saturday to celebrate the life of Elliot Blair, the local public defender who was found dead while celebrating his wedding anniversary in Mexico.
They met at the Christ Cathedral Arboretum in Garden Grove, allowing the public to join and offer the family support.
While they celebrate Blair's life, family members continue to call for justice after the suspicious details surrounding his death. Mexican officials have called the death a "tragic accident" after he fell from the balcony of his hotel room.
However, an autopsy performed on American soil last week revealed that the death was in fact a homicide, as they had suspected since first learning of his death back on Jan. 14.
"My heart is broken for his Kimmie, Stella, Candace, Sammy, and everyone of you who are here to honor and celebrate Elliot's amazing, successful but far too short of a life. I love you son," said Craig William's, Blair's father-in-law, while speaking at the memorial. "From the very first time I met Elliot I knew he was going to be something special. He was extremely polite and i could tell he was driven to succeed in life."
Hundreds of people were gathered for the celebration, where some of his closest friends and family members shared fond memories and somber thoughts on his death.
Just 33-years-old, Blair was a graduate of Loyola Law School and worked as a deputy public defender alongside his wife, Kimberly, since 2017. She spoke out for the first time since the incident on Thursday, addressing a myriad of information — including the varying stories fed to her by Mexican authorities.
"Elliot was the best of us and that's why it hurts so much," said Samantha Birkner, a colleague of the couple. "We will miss him every day, but we will never forget you Elliot. We love you."
Elliot and Kimberly were celebrating their first wedding anniversary in a place dear to their hearts — Rosarito, Mexico, when the tragic incident occurred. They were together for eight years before getting married.
"I have lost a rock," Blair's mother Stella said, while speaking to the gathering. "My rock of Gibraltar."
She continues to fight for truth when it comes to her son's death, somehow dealing with unmeasurable amounts of grief over the last three years in which she has now lost her husband, brother and son.
"You honor me. You honor Elliot's memory. Thank you so much for being here today for him, and for all of us. Thank you."
The family attorney says that they're still waiting on results from their independent autopsy, which could take several weeks, noting that the body was embalmed at a Mexican funeral home, making the toxicological test process much more complicated.
