Celebration Of Life To Be Held For Orange County Public Defender Who Died In Mexico

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — Orange County residents can join together on Saturday, Feb. 11 to help celebrate the life of a dedicated public defender who died while on his wedding anniversary in Mexico in January.

Friends and family members of Elliot Blair will host a celebration of life on Feb. 11 to honor his memory, and Orange County residents who wish to pay their respects are encouraged to attend, a family friend wrote on the GoFundMe page.

Blair, a deputy public defender for Orange County, died early Jan. 14 while celebrating his first wedding anniversary in Rosarito. Officials in Mexico have indicated 33-year-old Elliot Blair died from a fall from the hotel where he was staying with his wife, but his family suspects he was a victim of a violent crime.

"The family of Elliot Blair is absolutely reeling from the tragic death of this amazing young man who was in Rosarito Beach celebrating his first wedding anniversary," according to the statement from the family's attorney, David Scarsone.

The family "wholeheartedly believes based on their initial investigation that Elliot was the victim of a brutal crime."

The Celebration of Life for Elliot Blair takes place from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11 at Christ Cathedral Arboretum, 12141 S. Lewis Street, Garden Grove.

In lieu of flowers, residents are asked to consider donating to nonprofits Underground Grit or Project Kinship, family members said.

GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner.

City News Service contributed to this report.