Articles labeled: john couey

The parents of Jessica Lunsford, a 9-year-old girl who was raped, tortured, and buried alive in 2005, are suing the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Citrus County Board of County Commissioners claiming negligence in the investigation into the disappearance of their daughter, and they have reason to believe that the alleged mistakes led to the girl’s death.

The sheriff’s office said Thursday morning that the department has received notice of the lawsuit from Mark Lunsford and Angela Wright, who are Jessica’s parents.

Jessica Lunsford was kidnapped and murdered by John Couey in 2005. It took investigators nearly a month to find Jessica’s body. Couey was convicted of the crime last year, and a jury sentenced him to death.

At a news conference just before Lunsford’s, Citrus County Sheriff Jeff Dawsy said he was surprised by the lawsuit.

“I was surprised and disappointed,” he said. “We truly believe that this litigation is baseless.