An Orange County, California defense lawyer was celebrating his first wedding anniversary with his wife at a luxury resort in Mexico when he was discovered dead after a night of celebrating.

Elliot Blair, 33, was an associate public defender in Orange County. He died on Saturday, January 14 in Rosarito Beach, on the Baja Peninsula, south of Tijuana, Mexico. 

Blair and his wife Kim Williams traveled to the Las Rocas Resort and Spa in Rosarito, a seaside community in Baja. On January 14, hours after the couple had left for dinner and dancing, he was discovered dead. It was the day before their anniversary.

Mexican authorities say the lawyer plunged from a balcony of the Las Rocas Hotel while intoxicated.

However, according to a GoFundMe page put up by friends of the family, the death was not an accident, and the lawyer may have been a victim of a murder. 

Authorities in Mexico have only released a limited amount of information and are investigating the incident. 

Blair was found with injuries that were not consistent with an accidental fall. He had a gash on his head. 

John Jenks, a forensic addiction counselor and private investigator who has worked on numerous cases and trials with Blair, said that when he found out about his passing today, it hit him like a gut punch. Jenks added that Blair understood the law, he was well prepared, his trial presentations were amazing, and he was down-to-earth and personable.  

Blair’s attorney, David Scarsone told the Orange County Register that there are “many unanswered questions” causing them to delve further into the investigation and question the story given by Mexican authorities.