At 10 a.m. Friday (9:30 p.m. Hong Kong time), police in Hong Kong contacted The Telegram to provide an update about the case of the late Joseph Basha.
Basha, who is from St. John's, was found dead near his home in Hong Kong on Dec. 21.
As reported in Friday's edition of The Telegram, his family has objected to how the investigation into the death has proceeded to date and to reports accepting a working theory the death was due to a drug overdose.
"An autopsy conducted has preliminary indicated that the cause of death of Mr. Basha was due to overdose, although this is subject to the eventual findings of the toxicology report," police stated again in their email Friday.
It was confirmed the toxicology report that could provide confirmation one way or the other will only be available "after several months."
Outside of a medical determination as to cause of death, the family has questioned the speed and scope of work by police on the case to date.
"You know I'm not an investigator, but if someone told me to make a list of things I'd want to do in a murder investigation just from, you know, watching 'C.S.I.', I could come up with more things than they've done," said Joseph Basha's sister, Jacquelin, who spoke to The Telegram Thursday from Hong Kong.
In their email, Hong Kong police stated the investigation into Basha's death is continuing.
"Police officers from Yau Tsim District are currently focusing enquiries in relation to the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. Basha and which will also include ascertaining the whereabouts of certain items of his personal property which cannot be accounted for at this stage."
The email was without a signature, credited to a "duty officer" at Hong Kong police public relations.
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Likewise, my heart goes out to the Basha family. I was a policeman for 34 years and I would like to point out to Mrs. Basha's sister and family, that everything done on CSI does not happen in the real world. This is a TV Show full of 'imaginative ways' to solve crime, albeit some aspects are real. Police investigations aren't solved or investigated in one hour. This particular investigation depends on the ability and commitment of Chinese police, and the resources at their disposal. Having said all of that, based on what information that has been made available to the public, the death does seem suspicious.