Relief as dead man was not murdered

It tells a lot about the society we live in when relatives of a man, found dead near his home, could breathe a sigh of relief when an autopsy showed he died of natural causes and was not murdered.

Relatives of 61-year-old labourer Sham Ali told Newsday they were fearing the worst after his body was found by a neighbour near Ali’s Lopinot Road home on Tuesday morning. However, an autopsy revealed Ali died of a heart attack and there was no foul play.

Interviewed on Wednesday outside the Forensic Science Centre in St James, Ali’s son Nicholas Mohammed said while he is still in deep grief after learning of his father’s death, the family is happy he died peacefully.

“I’m just happy he died through natural causes and not by violent means because when I was told that the body was found in a decomposed condition, I immediately suspected some kind of foul play. But the autopsy today confirmed it was a case of death by natural causes.

“He was very close to his family even though we didn’t live together. Last Thursday he came to my business place to talk and lime. I know on Friday his brother would have spoken to him. He was always close to us but I’m just glad I don’t have to tell my son that his grandfather was murdered by anyone,” Mohammed said.

Ali was last seen alive on Friday and police believe that as he was making his way home, he suffered the heart attack, fell to the ground and died. How it took so long for his body to be found is anyone’s guess.

Mohammed said his father had a close bond with his grandson and wanted the best for him. He also said his father would do his best to avoid confrontation as he wanted to live a long life for his family.