Petition to Reopen the 2013 Death Investigation of Casey Pitzer.

This petition is submitted on behalf of Greg Pitzer, the father of Casey Pitzer, and other members of the Pitzer family.

In 2013, Casey Pitzer was found dead in a retention pond in Clinton County, Ohio. Since that time, her family has fought for answers, transparency, and justice. Instead, they have been met with missing evidence, unanswered questions, and years of silence.

The two men who claimed Casey jumped from their vehicle on the night she disappeared did not pass their polygraph examinations. Yet law enforcement told the family that these men had passed. After those failed polygraphs, key and critical evidence was either destroyed or went missing.

The City of Wilmington reportedly collected more than five hours of video footage showing Casey alive shortly before her disappearance, yet the family has never been allowed to see even one minute of playable footage showing Casey alive. Investigators also failed to properly secure, analyze, and preserve vital evidence, and they declined to bring in an outside agency to conduct an independent investigation.

Among the most troubling issues:

Six out of seven phone records containing GPS-related information are missing, including records that were subpoenaed by a grand jury.
Casey Pitzer’s DNA profile and rape kit were ordered destroyed during a period when the Wilmington Police Department itself was under investigation.

Both mandated county coroner investigator reports are missing. Photos of Casey’s body appear to show serious undocumented injuries.
Clothing Casey was wearing when she was recovered—biological evidence that should have been preserved under Ohio law, was discarded because it allegedly smelled “musty.” That clothing was destroyed without the family’s consent and without any forensic analysis being performed.

The family was repeatedly misled during the investigation and, at times, even hung up on for pressing officials for answers.
The family’s questions have now gone unanswered for years.

Casey was in good physical condition and was very familiar with water. She could swim and also kayaked. Although her death was ruled a drowning, when she was found, she had a handful of grass clutched in one hand and a string of beads loosely wrapped around three fingers on the other. To the family’s knowledge, the grass found in Casey’s hand was never collected or preserved as evidence, even though it may have helped determine where she actually died.

From the beginning, Casey’s family and friends have believed there was foul play. They believe the recovery effort and the investigation were mishandled. Casey’s body was not found for 10 days, despite the fact that the pond was newly constructed and filled with clear water.

More recent information involving another case—the alleged whitewashing of the death of Marvin Napier—has renewed these concerns. Some of the same officials and investigators connected to Casey Pitzer’s case have also been implicated in serious allegations surrounding the Napier matter. After learning more about that case, Greg Pitzer and Casey’s supporters became even more concerned that Casey’s death was never properly or honestly investigated.

Because of these facts, the Pitzer family, their friends, and their supporters respectfully request that the 2013 death investigation of Casey Pitzer be formally reopened.

We specifically call on the Clinton County Prosecutor and the Mayor of Wilmington to:

Request an outside agency or independent special prosecutor to review and investigate Casey Pitzer’s death and the handling of the evidence.
Determine who was responsible for the destruction, disappearance, or mishandling of key evidence.
Hold accountable any investigators or officials responsible, including termination and criminal prosecution where supported by the evidence, including for possible tampering with evidence.

Additional case materials related to the Marvin Napier matter can be viewed here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-KSd0xguv1RBtDPcCJrO8WZsKJiGn2yT

Additional evidence related to Casey Pitzer’s case can be viewed here:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Nh5qb7kMJdLii9-hg6Ie24N_cR4n3mWB83011NELbKI/edit

The allegations of misconduct and the possibility of homicide in the Napier case are also supported by analysis from a renowned forensic scientist from 4n6.com, whose report and audio are included in the linked materials.

Several officers involved in Casey Pitzer’s 2013 investigation, including the former Wilmington Chief of Police and former chief detective, were later forced to resign in 2019 after a BCI investigation uncovered serious misconduct within the department.

We ask all members of the public to support the Pitzer family by signing and sharing this petition in pursuit of justice, accountability, answers, and truth for Casey Pitzer.

Please sign and share this petition.
Thank you for your support.

Darrell Petrey - Advocate and Marsy's Law Victim Representative for Pitzer and Napier families