ABHA, 3 April 2008 — Relatives of a woman who died recently at her home in Khamis Mushayt have objected to the move by police to conduct a postmortem examination of the dead body after allegations of foul play behind the death.
The father and brother of the woman in her 30s insisted that the death occurred on Saturday after an epileptic fit, spokesman for Asir police Col. Abdullah Al-Qarni told Arab News yesterday.
The police suspect that the death is an act of foul play because the grandmother of the dead woman claims that her brother used to beat his sister. “Her father and brother refused to agree to an autopsy, and the body did not carry any visible sign of violence or bruises that would suggest a struggle,” Al-Qarni said.
The grandmother told Arab News over telephone that she suspected her granddaughter died of poisoning. The deceased was mother of two children.
According to the police spokesman, the investigating authorities have the power to initiate an autopsy if they had valid reasons to suspect foul play in a death, even if the relatives did not consent, but this requires permission from the governor’s office.
