You may not have heard of Robert Ethan Saylor, but his death in January should inspire something more lasting than a small-town police investigation.

Mr. Saylor, who was known as Ethan, had Down syndrome, a genetic condition that causes learning difficulties. He was 26 and lived with his family in New Market, Md., in Frederick County. On the day he died, he went to a local mall to see the film “Zero Dark Thirty.” When it ended, his caregiver went to get the car. Mr. Saylor went back in and sat down for the next showing.

Theater employees told him to buy another ticket or leave. When Mr. Saylor refused, they called mall security, three off-duty county sheriff’s deputies who tried to drag him out of the theater. According to the sheriff’s office, Mr. Saylor cursed and struggled. He was handcuffed and ended up on the floor. Something happened, and then he died.

The medical examiner said it was a homicide, by asphyxiation. The county state’s attorney is considering whether to take the case to a grand jury.