North Sulawesi Police Forensic: The Death Of Sangihe Deputy Regent Helmud Hontong Due To Illness

The North Sulawesi Police Forensic Team together with the Sangihe Police Chief held a press conference at the Sangihe Police Hall, Monday, June 14. (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The Forensic Team of the North Sulawesi Police explained the death of Sangihe Deputy Regent Helmud Hontong on a flight from Denpasar, Bali to Manado, on Wednesday, June 9, due to chronic illness.

"Provisional results based on autopsy, the death of the Deputy Regent of the Sangihe Islands, Helmud Hontong on the plane was not poisoned, but because of the chronic illness he suffered", said one of the forensic team, Dr. Faizal Zulkarnaen in Tahuna, quoted by Antara, Monday, June 14.

According to him, various speculations over the death of the deputy regent made investigators ask the family to perform an autopsy on the deceased Helmud Hontong.

An autopsy was carried out by the forensic team from 05.00 a.m. to 7.30 a.m. local time at the Liunkendage Tahuna Regional General Hospital.

The joint forensic team that carried out the examination consisted of Dr. Faizal Zulkarnaen Director of Bhayangkara Hospital Manado, Dr. Nola Mallo, a forensic specialist, Dr. Elisa Rompas, a Forensic Specialist at Prof Kandow Hospital in the Sangihe Police Hall, said that the provisional results showed several chronic diseases from the organs of the deceased.

"During the examination of the deceased's body, we did not find any other cause that resulted in Helmud Hontong's death apart from illness, but we still took samples for further examination", he said.

The follow-up examinations were toxicology and organ tissue examination as well as toxicology examinations carried out at the forensic laboratory for examination of poisons and other materials, while tissue examinations were carried out at Kandou Hospital in Manado and the forensic laboratory in Makassar.

"So it is a temporary assumption that the Deputy Regent Helmud Hontong died from an old disease", said Zulkarnaen.

General Criminal Director of the North Sulawesi Regional Police Gani F Siahaan conveyed that with various speculations on the cause of the death of the late Helmud Hontong that developed on social media, two teams were formed, namely the forensic investigation team and the forensic medical investigation team to conduct an autopsy.

"We are still investigating whether there is a criminal incident that occurred or not. So far, the team is still investigating", said Siahaan.

Chief of Sangihe Police, Tony Budhi Sosetyo said the autopsy was carried out to help investigators and the public not to speculate and to make clear the cause of death of the late Deputy Regent of Sangihe Helmud Hontong", said the Police Chief.