INVERNESS, Fla., Feb. 21 (UPI) -- The parents of a Florida girl killed by a neighbor say the Citrus County Sheriff's Office contributed to her death by failing to find her in time to save her.
John Couey was sentenced to death in 2007for kidnapping, raping and killing Jessica Lunsford, 9, in 2005. Investigators said he kept her in his trailer for three days before tying her hands, putting her in a garbage bag and burying her alive.
Mark Lunsford and Angela Wright filed a notice of intent to sue Wednesday, claiming negligence, The St. Petersburg Times reported.
"We have evidence that sheriff's office was negligent in conducting its investigation during the crucial time when Jessica was alive," the parent's lawyer, Eric Block, wrote in the notice.
John Dawsy, the Citrus County sheriff, said he was "surprised and disappointed" by the lawsuit.
