US engineer Shane Todd committed suicide, Singapore coroner finds
The coroner's verdict is at odds with Shane Todd's family saying he was murdered, but American envoys believe the inquiry was fair
American engineer Shane Todd committed suicide in Singapore last year, a coroner's inquiry in the city state concluded yesterday, in a verdict at odds with his family's belief that he was murdered because of his work.
The case had threatened to become an issue between Singapore and the United States as Senator Max Baucus, who represents Todd's home state of Montana, had pressed for greater American involvement in the investigation.
But the possibility of diplomatic discord appears to have diminished, even though Todd's parents have vowed to push for an investigation at home.
After the verdict, the US embassy in Singapore said: "The inquiry into Dr Todd's death was comprehensive, fair and transparent". The statement also expressed heartfelt sympathy to his family, friends and colleagues.
Todd died of "asphyxia by hanging" and there was "no foul play involved in the deceased's death", said the summary of the findings by District Judge Chay Yuen Fatt, issued after two weeks of testimony by dozens of witnesses in May.