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Michelle O'Connell family asks for case to be reopened

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — The family of a woman found dead inside a St. Johns County deputy's home is asking for her case to be reopened.

Tuesday, is the fourth anniversary of Michelle O'Connell's death, and her family will be holding a news conference at 11 a.m.

In the report filed by a private investigator, O'Connell's family claims she was packing her bags to leave her boyfriend the same night she was found dead at his home.

Investigator Clu Wright is an independent investigator, not hired by the O'Connell family.  The family is also not relying on Wright's report as a basis for their coroner's inquest request.  The family is solely relying on the facts of the case and statements provided by a new witness, Danny Harmon.

RELATED: Michelle O'Connell's family wants coroner's inquest

The O'Connell family claims Deputy Jeremy Banks killed her. However, investigators from several state and local agencies concluded that O'Connell shot herself to death with bank's service revolver.

The family claims the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office made mistakes while investigating. While the SJCSO has admitted mistakes were made while investigating the case, they maintain O'Connell took her own life.

RELATED: CNN investigating O'Connell death

O'Connell's family even got the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to investigate the case. However, that investigation went sour when St. Johns County Sheriff David Shoar claimed an agent from the FDLE made up evidence and coached witnesses to prove his theory that it was a homicide.

Deputy Jeremy Banks was placed on leave for 13 months over that theory, and he ended up filing a lawsuit over the leave.

The SJCSO has attempted to be transparent in their investigation, even as far as creating a webpage which included their evidence and expert analysis throughout the investigation.