KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Friends and family lined the Eastern Jackson County Courthouse Monday in Independence seeking answers on the sixth anniversary of the death of Libby Caswell.
In the years since her death in 2017, family has challenged how Caswell died, enlisting the support of Alliance for HOPE International, in hopes that law enforcement would reconsider the case.
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On Monday, the Independence Police Department released a statement in which they said that despite the case being reviewed by multiple detectives, and bringing in additional resources from the FBI, they believe Caswell’s death was most likely a suicide.
Despite their review of evidence, police in Independence nonetheless presented the case to the Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for consideration of any criminal charges.
In a statement Monday afternoon, Prosecuting Attorney Jean Peters Baker said her office could not file charges.
“The prosecutor’s office reassigned a second veteran prosecutor to review the case a second time, but determined that the evidence was insufficient to justify criminal charges for multiple reasons,” Peters Baker said in the statement.
KSHB 41 I-Team reporter Sarah Plake detailed Caswell’s case in a longform report in 2021.
The Independence Police Department said in an email to KSHB41 Monday, detectives believed Libby's death was a suicide but the Medical Examiner ruled her death was “undetermined.” As of Monday, the case remained closed.
Despite Monday’s news, Caswell’s mother, Cindy Caswell told KSHB 41 reporter Abby Dodge she will continue to do everything she can.
“It’s been an uphill battle,” said Caswell as she described her continued search for answers.
Caswell said her daughter did struggle with addiction in the past, but was on the right track at the time she died. She is certain her daughter, who was a mother, was looking toward the future.
“She did not kill herself,” Cindy Caswell said. “She would not have done that. She was in a healing process at the time and was doing everything she was supposed to do.”
Both the prosecutor’s office and Independence police say they welcome any new evidence or independent investigations into the case.
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