Residents urge independent review of Michael Stanley Ewing’s death; council cites open investigation

Multiple Springville residents called on the City Council to support an independent external review of the investigation into the death of Michael Stanley Ewing, a longtime coach and community member.

At public comment, Rebecca Millard said the Ewing family and community members remain troubled by a perceived lack of transparency about events preceding Ewing’s death and the investigation that followed. “Please support an independent review to ensure justice is served,” Millard told the council. Miriam Tracy, speaking later, urged the council to acknowledge concerns on the public record and assist with lawful records access and evidence review, saying denied records requests and unretrieved business surveillance footage have eroded public trust.

A statement read on behalf of Jaylen (Jalen) Miyazaki, identified in the meeting as Ewing’s stepson, said the family believes the Springville Police Department has not pursued evidence thoroughly and that critical time has been lost to recover potential video evidence. “This case needs to be done and investigated by an external party,” the statement said, calling for an outside review to avoid any conflict of interest.

Council members did not vote on a request for an external review during the meeting. The mayor (unnamed in the transcript) said the matter is an open investigation and directed questions to City Attorney John Penrod, noting the city cannot comment publicly while an inquiry is ongoing. The mayor encouraged residents to contact Penrod for updates “as much information as he legally can” provide.

Speakers in the public record also submitted written statements asking the city to recuse itself from parts of the inquiry; City staff read several of those letters into the record. No formal motion to initiate an external review was made on the floor during this meeting.

The most recent date cited by speakers for the events surrounding Ewing’s death was July 14, 2025; that date was mentioned by public commenters and is presented here as reported in their statements, not as an independently verified fact by the council. The council did not announce further procedural steps on the record beyond directing interested parties to the city attorney.