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Evans Woman's Family Believes Officer Covered Up Cause Of Death

DENVER (CBS4) - A young woman's death in Evans was first ruled a suicide, but now the case has been reopened and her parents believe her husband killed her.

"We know in our hearts that my sister was killed by Tom Fallis," said Ashley Fallis' brother Bryce Fox-Raguindin.

Ashley Fallis Family
Ashley Fallis's family at a news conference on April 10, 2014 (credit: CBS)

Ashley Fallis' family laid out their suspicions at a news conference in Denver on Thursday. They say they've never felt Ashley killed herself and say they believe she died at the hands of her husband and that a fellow law enforcement officer in the same community helped him cover it up.

Ashley Fallis
Ashley Fallis (credit: CBS)

Ashley was 28 when she died in 2012. Her death was ruled a suicide from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the family's home in Evans. Now her family says statements from key witnesses were omitted or changed from the original police report, including a statement from Ashley's 6-year-old daughter.

"'Quote, 'I saw daddy getting the gun ready' and that she, 'Quote, saw daddy shoot mommy,' " family attorney Daniel Recht said at the news conference.

Neighbors also say they heard Ashley's husband, Tom Fallis, claim that he shot his wife on the night of New Year's Eve.

Ashley's mother says hearing the possibility that her daughter didn't take her own life brings on a range of emotions.

"As a mother, crying and screaming and elated, and it's very hard to be happy with something like this when our daughter is not here," said Jenna Fox, Ashley's mother.

Allegations have been made that a detective on the case covered up damning evidence. Ashley's husband was also a local law enforcement officer at the time of her death.

The case has now been reopened and the family says they've never given up hope that what really happened to Ashley would come to light.

"Keep continuing to believe and have always believed that at one time the truth would come forth and that time is now," said Joel Raguindin, Ashley's father.

The Fort Collins and Loveland police departments are handling the new investigations.

Tom Fallis is now living in Indiana with the couple's three young children.

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