There will be no Federal charges in the death investigation of Cary Owsley.
Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers requested a federal investigation in to the April, 2013 death of Owsley, which was ruled a suicide by County Coroner Larry Fisher. There were numerous issues with the death investigation, including Owsley’s wife’s ex-husband, who was a Sheriff’s Deputy, being allowed on the scene to handle evidence. According to a letter released by the Sheriff’s Department from U.S. Dept. of Justice (DOJ) Acting Section Chief Paige M. Fitzgerald, the DOJ and the FBI say that there is no evidence to support the prosecution of anyone under Federal criminal civil rights statutes.
Despite the incident occurring before Sheriff Myers took office, he explained that he asked for the inquiry in order to restore dignity to the department, the families that were affected, as well as the community. The Sheriff added that he is unable to comment further on the case due to a pending civil lawsuit.
Owsley’s sister, Cheryl Owsley Jackson, said that she’s concerned that the Sheriff’s Department may not have turned over all of the evidence they had. She says that the Sheriff’s Department would not tell the family what evidence was handed over to federal officials, despite their requests for that information. Owsley Jackson also says that Sheriff Myers did not request federal help of his own volition. She says that he only did so after repeated requests from her and her family.
Former Bartholomew County Sheriff Mark Gorbett, through attorney Pete King, said that the DOJ’s announcement confirms his belief that “the investigation conducted by the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, as well as the investigation by the Indiana State Police which former Sheriff Gorbett requested, vindicates the ultimate determination of the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department that no criminal laws were violated.”
King added that Gorbett is currently a defendant in a civil lawsuit filed by Logan Owsley. As such, he will be unable to comment further on this case until the conclusion of that litigation.