WASHINGTON - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley is requesting an update on the ongoing investigation into the drowning death of a 20-year-old Iowan while in police custody more than a year ago.
Brandon Ellingson of Clive, Iowa, drowned on the Lake of the Ozarks while in the custody of the Missouri Highway Patrol on May 31, 2014. To date, the criminal investigation into his death remains unresolved. While Grassley asked the U.S. Department of Justice to review the matter for violations of federal civil or criminal laws, few developments have emerged from the local investigation since a new special prosecutor was appointed in March.
"Whenever an individual's death is alleged to have been caused by law enforcement officers, the matter deserves a prompt, thorough, fair, and independent investigation," Grassley said in a letter today to Salem, Mo., City Attorney William Seay, the special prosecutor for the investigation.
In the letter, which was also sent to Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Grassley is asking for the investigation's current status and expected timeline, as well as what efforts are being made to ensure transparency in the process.
Full text of Grassley's letter
