ESCONDIDO, Calif. (KGTV) – A funeral procession was held Tuesday to honor the life of former Marine and Escondido Police Department officer Brett Byler, who passed away from glioblastoma on November 14.
Brett Byler served in the Marine Corps before becoming a police officer and serving with the Department of Defense, the San Diego Police Department and recently with EPD.
On February 16, 2020, Byler was found to have a large brain tumor that had grown across the midline of his brain. He underwent surgery four days later to remove 80% of the tumor and went through chemo and radiation while spending time with family and loved ones.
Escondido Chief of Police Edward Varso issued the following statement on Byler’s passing:
“Brett was an outstanding police officer who started his career with the San Diego Police Department, graduating from the police academy in October 2012. On January 25, 2016, Brett was hired by the Escondido Police Department, which expanded the Byler family presence at EPD. Brett went on to become a member of the Unmanned Aerial Sytems Unit in 2017 and was selected to be a School Resource Officer in September 2019. Brett will always be remembered for his love of police work and his phenomenal sense of humor. In fact, during my last visit with Brett, he was still enjoying his time watching videos of vehicle pursuits. Brett LOVED being a cop!”
Byler is survived by his wife Mariah and three young daughters Brynlee, Barrett and Bellamy.
A GoFundMe has been established in support of the Byler family.
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