MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – Dustin Grissom traveled to Sarasota to celebrate his mother’s 67th birthday. His lifeless body was discovered in a Sarasota Motel room on June 15.
His family believes he is the victim of murder.
“He was someone’s father, he was someone’s brother, he was someone’s son, he was someone’s husband. He was a human being and he deserves justice,” said his wife, Lashonda Grissom.
The family contends the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office isn’t investigating the case because Grissom was black.
“Just because Dustin was black doesn’t mean that his life should be swept under the rug and be put as another statistic. It is unacceptable that the sheriff’s has failed to do their job. They have failed to collect the proper evidence. They have failed to collect DNA, we have not been told of any of that,” said the family’s attorney Gil Sanchez.
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office says the investigation is still active and open, but that evidence found at the scene indicates a drug overdose.
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office issued a statement on the incident saying
“Paraphernalia consistent with illicit drug use was located in close proximity to Dustin. The room was secured and detectives with the Manatee Homicide Unit were notified and continued the investigation. The scene was consistent with that of a drug overdose. Nothing suspicious was observed,”
Grissom’s family doesn’t accept that explanation.
“He was a human being, a person and they just let someone walk in and take his life and walk out and they just sit there like it’s nothing,” said Lashonda Grissom.
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