Copy of letter sent to Bartholomew County Sheriff from the Department of Justice.
COLUMBUS, Ind. — Federal civil rights charges will not be filed in the Cary Owsley investigation following a review by the Department of Justice and FBI.
Owsley, 49, died in April 2013, and coroner Larry Fisher ruled his death a suicide.
The Owsley family pressed for more answers after learning a deputy that handled evidence on the scene had previously been married to Cary Owsley’s wife.
In March, Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers, who was not the sheriff during Owsley’s death, requested a federal review of the case.
“I did this because I believed, and still believe, it was the right thing to do for the Owsley family, this community and the men and women of the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office,” said Myers.
The DOJ and FBI determined evidence does not show any violation of civil rights. The federal investigation is closed, according to a letter addressed to the sheriff.
The Owsley family released a statement Thursday:
Naturally, the family of Cary Owsley is very disappointed with the Department of Justice’s decision not to bring federal criminal civil rights charges against the several Bartholomew County officials involved in the death investigation of Cary Owsley. We remain committed, however, to seeing that justice is done and we will continue to seek redress in civil court. We are not deterred.
