All of the pending charges in the Flint water crisis investigation have been dropped

All of the pending charges brought in connection with the Flint water crisis have just been dropped.

Prosecutors on Thursday announced the dismissal of criminal charges against eight people, including former Michigan health director Nick Lyon, as they said the investigation will be restarted, The Associated Press reports. Lyon was the top ranking official to face charges in the investigation as prosecutors said he did not warn Flint residents about a Legionnaires' disease outbreak in a timely fashion.

Charges were also dismissed against health department officials, former Flint emergency managers, and current and former employees of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the City of Flint, the Detroit Free Press reports. Seven people had previously pleaded no contest to misdemeanors.

In a statement, Michigan Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud and Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said that "all available evidence was not pursued" in the cases. But they said that "we are now in the best possible position to find the answers the citizens of Flint deserve and hold all responsible parties accountable" and that the defendants in question could face charges again, CBS News reports.

With the investigation being restarted, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel added on Thursday per The New York Times, "I want to remind the people of Flint that justice delayed is not always justice denied."