Scott Matchett, 29, died by suicide back in 2021.

His parents say the Brighton Police Department failed their son and have filed a lawsuit, saying they don’t want anyone else to ever have to go through what they have.

Mary Karol Matchett says her two children always had a special bond.

“They were always together. They were inseparable,” she said. “They would finish each other’s sentences and Kara would explain to him different social cues so that he would be able to, you know, function out in society and so forth. So he depended on her for that. She was his teacher, his coach, his everything."

Everyone in the family is deaf. Not only was Scott deaf, but he was also on the autism spectrum and had other mental health issues that became more difficult to manage in the last few years of his life. During a mental health episode in 2021, his parents turned to the Brighton Police Department for help getting him hospitalized.

“There were two police officers that showed up and I met them at the door and I said, ‘Is there an interpreter on the way?’ and they said, ‘There’s not one available,’" said Mary Karol.

“It was pointless talking with these two police officers," said father Doug Matchett.

The couple says the officers told Scott to calm down and left.

A couple of months later, there was another incident.

"He had a complete mental breakdown and he just lost it," said Mary Karol.

She says one of the officers on scene knew minimal basic signs, but an interpreter was still needed and requested. She says they were told one was not available. 

“That phrase, ‘No. Not available. No’ — we don’t want to hear that," said Doug.

The family describes another incident and the alleged lack of access for a lengthy amount of time on the day Scott died. Their lawsuit alleges inadequate response from Brighton Police. The family says this has to stop in this town and everywhere.

“We need the message to get out there that if you don’t know somebody’s language as a police officer, then how can you serve them?" said Doug. "It’s not just us who need interpreters, it’s the police officers who need interpreters too, because otherwise how can they do their job? How can they understand us?"

Doug and Mary Karol have coordinates tattooed on their wrists of their son’s favorite location off the coast of Florida, where they spread some of his ashes.

“We understand what it’s like to go through this and no one should have to go through this," said Doug.

The Town of Brighton released a statement, saying:

"The Brighton Police Department takes great pride in providing the highest level of police service to the community at all levels. The Town plans to try these cases in a court of law and not in the court of public opinion, and fully intends on addressing the specific allegations in its submissions to the Court. Otherwise, the Town is not in a position to comment further at this time."

The family has lived in Brighton for nearly 35 years. Mary Karol is the assistant vice president of Student and Academic Service at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at RIT.