Washington, DC — May 24, 2011Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that Governor John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Rep. Cory Gardner (R-CO), Senators Mark Udall (D-CO) and Michael Bennett (D-CO) sent letters to Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, urging them to help gain “closure and justice” for Tiffany Hartley, the Colorado citizen and Judicial Watch client whose husband David Hartley was murdered by what are believed to be Mexican drug cartel pirates. The incident took place September 30, 2010, on Lake Falcon, a tourist destination on the border between Texas and Mexico.The letters, dated May 20, 2011, detail the efforts of Hickenlooper, Gardner, Udall and Bennett in assisting Mrs. Hartley, while asking Attorney General Holder and Secretary of State Clinton to join their campaign on behalf of Mrs. Hartley:

Despite all of these efforts, many questions remain outstanding, and we respectfully request you help resolve them……While Ms. Hartley recognizes the complicated nature of this situation because it happened on the Texas/Mexico border, she has been unable to obtain any recent updates from the FBI regarding the progress of the case. Moreover, the inability to recover her husband’s remains has created numerous difficulties for Ms. Hartley because she cannot obtain a death certificate. She has sought help from the State Department, including the U.S. Consulate in Matamoros, regarding this issue, but has so far been unable to gain final closure.We request any additional assistance and information you can provide Ms. Hartley and her family in accordance with the law. Specifically, we request an update on the status of U.S. involvement in the investigation attention to the investigation of the murder of David Hartley.

Gov. Hickenlooper and Rep. Gardner have personally met with Mrs. Hartley. Sen. Udall and Sen. Bennett have also reached out and taken action for the Hartley family.Mrs. Hartley also received assistance from Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) and Brian Bilbray (R-CA), who held a Capitol Hill press conference on May 12, 2011, to bring attention to the investigation of the murder of David Hartley.Nearly eight months after the murder, Mr. Hartley’s body has yet to be recovered and the federal government has apparently ended its efforts in this case. Rep. Poe called on the Obama administration to reinvigorate this investigation to find David Hartley’s assassins and bring them to justice:

It has been nearly eight months since David Hartley was gunned down on Falcon Lake. His wife Tiffany is still left with no answers about the death of her husband. Mrs. Hartley is not alone. Last year 111 U.S. citizens were killed in Mexico, to this day none of those cases have been solved. In many of these cases the Federal Government has abandoned the investigations leaving it up to the Mexican government to solve, no questions asked. It is past time that the American government stays on top of the Mexican government for solving the murders of our own citizens.

Judicial Watch has called on the Mexican Government and the Obama administration to thoroughly investigate the September 30, 2010, murder of David Hartley on Falcon Lake in Texas. Judicial Watch also launched an investigation of David Hartley’s murder, and is moving to identify and obtain all government records pertaining to the September shooting, including Obama administration communications with their Mexican counterparts, as well as law enforcement officials, Mexican military authorities, and others.“Judicial Watch commends Gov. Hickenlooper, Sen. Udall, Sen. Bennett, and Rep. Gardner for acting to help Mrs. Hartley, who is owed a full and thorough investigation into the murder of her husband and deserves accountability from both the Mexican authorities and the Obama administration. So far, it appears the pursuit of justice has been suppressed for political reasons on both sides of the border. It’s shameful and wrong. Let’s hope Attorney General Holder and Secretary Clinton heed the bipartisan call for action and commit all available resources to solve this murder and bring those responsible to justice,” stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.