The Lee County Sheriff's Office is investigating after a 19-year-old woman was found dead in her bedroom the morning after visiting a bar in south Fort Myers.
Deputies responded to Pelican Larry's Raw Bar and Grill at University Village near FGCU around 6:30 p.m. on Friday, June 14, for a medical assistance call.
NBC2 spoke with the family's lawyer, Anthony Rickman, who confirmed Ava Hulett was at Pelican Larry's that night. He says the family believes something happened to Hulett.
"Ava was at Pelican Larry’s. Something happened at Pelican Larry’s that resulted in her and other people there being hospitalized," Rickman said.
The next day, LCSO responded to a Fort Myers home for reports of a deceased woman. Investigators learned she was at the bar the evening before.
Rickman says this is not a suicide, and the family is searching for answers.
“We want to make clear, this is not a circumstance where this is a suicide. This is not a circumstance where she had a condition. This is something that happened that stemmed from what happened over at Pelican Larry's that night," Rickman said.
Ava's brother, Bradley, died in 2019 after he was shot and killed by a friend while playing video games inside their Tampa Bay area home, according to Fox13 . He was 15 years old when he died.
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“It's just horrible what this family has had to go through, what they continue to go through with the death of both their children," Rickman added.
Deputies and detectives say they are continuing to work with the medical examiner to determine the manner of death through further testing.
Detectives are still waiting for Hulett's autopsy and toxicology report to return.
”One of the things that’s holding it up is the results of the autopsy. We’re still waiting on the results from the medical examiner's office. It's my understanding once that final piece is completed, then the investigation will be I'll be sent over the next stage, which will be going to the state attorney's office," Rickman said.
At this time, there is no indication that the staff at Pelican Larry's or its operations caused any harm to their guests.
The manager of Pelican Larry's could not comment on the investigation but said they are fully cooperating with deputies and that their hearts are with the family.
LCSO said they are continuing to work with the owner and staff during this investigation.
This is an ongoing investigation. You can count on NBC2 to provide updates as they are received.
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