A bill allowing Hoosiers to request the re-opening of a death investigation unanimously passed the Indiana Senate Committee on Corrections and Criminal Law on Tuesday.
Senate Bill 177 would allow the immediate family of a deceased individual to request a new investigation by the Indiana State Police into the cause of death of their relative.
The ISP would not be required to open a new investigation but would be obligated to review the request.
State Senator Mark Messmer authored the bill after meeting with the family of Kristy Kelley, a constituent of Senate District 48, who went missing and was found deceased weeks later in her car in a pond.
Local law enforcement ruled Kelley’s death an accident, but her family still had many questions.
The legislation specifies that the families must meet reasonable suspicion standards by providing relevant facts and instances drawn from these facts.
The bill will now be considered by the full Senate.
