Shane Todd Update: Singapore coroner rules American engineer killed himself
(CBS) - Shane Todd, the 31-year-old American engineer who was found dead in Singapore in June 2012, committed suicide by hanging, according to a coroner on the Asian island nation who released his long-awaited ruling on the case on Monday.
In a detailed 145 page report simply marked "Findings," State Coroner Chay Yuen Fatt concluded that the cause of Todd's death was "asphyxia due to hanging" and found "there was no foul play in the deceased's death" unlike Shane's parents, Rick and Mary Todd of Montana, have maintained in their year-long campaign to find an explanation.
They insist Shane was murdered and would never have killed himself when he was only days from returning to the United States where he had already secured a new job.
The Todds initially took part in the inquest inquiry, held in Singapore last May, but mid-way through, they declared that the proceedings were not being conducted in a fair manner. Rebuffed in their attempt to get more time to question a particular witness, the Todds stood up in court, bowed to the judge and walked out of the building. Overnight, they decided they would no longer have anything to do with the inquest and left the country. Although the three-week inquiry ended in May, the coroner did not release his final report until today.
In response, the Todd family released its own statement hours later which, among other things, read: "Our hearts go out to the people of Singapore who have expressed to us their experiences and frustrations with the perversion of justice that pervades their country. From our own interactions with the police and coroner we have personally concluded that a staged suicide in Singapore will never be examined or ruled as murder no matter what signs there are of foul play."
The Todds referred supporters to their new website www.justice4shanetodd.com which they said holds answers to several key questions they have raised about the case. Rick and Mary Todd insist Shane was murdered after he was asked to compromise U.S. security by revealing secrets to a Chinese company. That company -- Huawei Technologies -- has been declared a threat to U.S. national security by the House Intelligence Committee. At the time, Huawei was discussing a joint project with Shane's Singapore employer, the Institute of Microelectronics. But both companies deny their joint business discussions involved any classified military information.
In his report, the Singapore coroner agreed with that assessment.
Meanwhile, the United States Embassy in Singapore released its own statement, saying "the inquiry into Dr. Todd's death was comprehensive, fair and transparent."
The Todds say they will continue to push for Congressional hearings on their son's death.
Complete coverage of the Shane Todd case on CBS News