The tale of how Col. Christopher De Los Santos came to kill himself on Oct. 11, 2015, has largely remained untold until now, with the filing of a lawsuit in federal court in Sacramento this month and UC Davis’ subsequent agreement to release internal documents about the matter to The Sacramento Bee. The internal documents largely confirm details contained in the lawsuit, but redact the names of the participants.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of De Los Santos’ widow and children, blames the university for driving him to suicide. It claims he was notified by email on a Sunday morning – as he drove to church with his family – that he was being suspended after co-workers accused him of sexual harassment. The suit claims UC Davis discriminated against De Los Santos because he was a veteran, alleging that he was suspended and told to stay away from campus because officials were concerned he would “show up with a gun.”
UC Davis issued a statement expressing sympathy for the De Los Santos family but adding that it did nothing wrong in handling the sexual harassment claims that were filed against him in the wake of the retreat.