KUANTAN: FOUL play has been ruled out in the death of British backpacker Gareth Huntley, whose body was discovered on the banks of Sungai Mentawak at Kampung Juara in Pulau Tioman on June 4.
Pahang police chief Datuk Saifuddin Abdul Ghani said based on forensic information, the department had concluded there were no criminal elements in the incident.
"This is based on the findings of an autopsy conducted at the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital (HTAA). There are no injuries on Huntley's body.
"Police personnel, who searched the area, also did not recover anything suspicious.
"So far, there is no evidence of foul play," he said after launching a blood donation campaign jointly organised by the police and Armed Forces here yesterday.
Saifuddin said initial information revealed that Huntley was dead for more than three days before being discovered by search and rescue personnel. The body was found behind a row of cabins in Kampung Juara.
On the post-mortem results, he said the police and HTAA followed standard operating procedures to determine the cause of death and, if required, further investigations would be carried out before any report was released.
Saifuddin, who appeared irked when asked about foreign media reports claiming that Huntley could have been murdered, said the department was not interested on commenting on such articles.
"Do not talk about the foreign media. We are not interested in their reports on Huntley ... they are merely speculating.
"Our findings are based on medical reports and proper investigations."
A British newspaper on Sunday had quoted Kampung Juara chief Ab Razib Ali Awang as saying that most locals believed something sinister had happened to Huntley. It also quoted local tour guides who claimed the victims's throat had been slit.
Huntley, 34, from Cricklewood in north London, had gone to the Lubuk Teja waterfall on May 27 at about noon, but failed to return to his chalet.
His remains were claimed by a funeral service provider, appointed by the British High Commission, on Monday and is expected to be flown to his hometown for burial later this week.