Woman's Claim to be Luttrell Family Spokesperson Was False, Family Says

A woman who appeared on Des Moines TV stations earlier this week claiming to be a spokesperson for Franklyn Luttrell’s family is not associated with the family, the city of Ankeny confirmed Thursday.

Earlier this week, Ankeny Patch ran a story originally reported by KCCI-TV. In the story, a woman named Jennifer Gray was interviewed, claiming to be a “spokesperson” for the family of Franklyn Luttrell, an .

In the interview, Gray said the Luttrell family was outraged that no other charges were filed against Laurin Cole of Ankeny, the driver of the pickup truck, after Ankeny police .

Gray also said the Luttrell family planned to push for harsher penalties for those who run red lights.

Luttrell’s son, Dean, responded to the story in an email to Ankeny Police Chief Gary Mikulec on Wednesday after the story aired. In the email, Dean said the family has no official spokesperson.

“Our family was disturbed to view a recent news report that was provided by local media featuring Jennifer Gray acting as a Luttrell family spokesperson,” Dean said in the email. “Our family has never requested Jennifer Gray to represent us in the media and, in fact, we only recently discovered that Jennifer Gray knew my father through an association of local magicians."

Dean continued in the email saying Gray’s comments are strictly her own and not those of the Luttrell family.