Alexander Bello-Ortiz was a 22-year-old Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University student and Air Force ROTC cadet who was found dead in his Daytona Beach home on September 6, 2020. He was discovered with a gunshot wound to the head and a rifle next to him; the Daytona Beach Police Department initially ruled the death a suicide and closed the case.

Dissatisfied, the family hired a private investigator and an audio forensic expert and obtained police body camera and home security footage they say show a struggle between Alexander and another person before the shot. Those materials prompted the department to reopen the investigation. In March 2023 the family filed a federal wrongful death suit against a roommate, accusing him of staging the scene and alleging investigative failures by police including not preserving the scene, not formally interviewing roommates, and not testing for gunshot residue or DNA. Audio from a Ring camera is cited in the complaint.

A civil jury in December 2024 awarded the family $4 million, finding the evidence pointed to the roommate’s responsibility. No criminal charges have been filed. Alexander’s mother, Maria Lourdes Ortiz, has publicly pushed for further review and has asked for a U.S. Justice Department investigation. Does anyone have information about Alexander’s final hours or the people who were living with him that could help clarify what happened?