We do have an update concerning the story involving a man from Marion, Montana who was found dead in Singapore last summer. His parents recently came into contact with a computer hard drive that raises even more doubts about the claim that their son committed suicide.
I spoke with a member of the Todd family Monday who informed me that Mary and Rick Todd were meeting with Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) and were also hoping to meet with the Singaporean Ambassador. NBC’s Today show also had a report on their case Tuesday morning.
Senator Baucus released this statement concerning the Todd’s case:
SEN. BAUCUS (D-MT): “The Todd’s incredible love for their son and commitment to justice is nothing short of inspiring — I saw it in their eyes, and that’s what is driving me to do everything in my power to make sure no stone is left un-turned in this case. We have to get to the bottom of this. The family — and the American people — deserve answers.”
He went even further both on NBC’s Today show, and in USA Today with this:
Baucus said the U.S. government has not done enough to answer the Todds’ questions, and that he doesn’t know yet whether enough pressure has been put on authorities in Singapore to allow the FBI to assist in the investigation.
“I’m going make sure they do,” Baucus told USA TODAY. “I’m going to find out what happened.”
A staffer informs me that Sen. Baucus is meeting face-to-face with the Singaporean Ambassador to the United States sometime Tuesday, and that he has personally weighed in with top officials at the White House. Baucus reportedly met with the family Friday, and set up a meeting at the State Department for them.
The full piece that aired on NBC’s Today show can be viewed below:
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PRIOR POST
Montanan Found Dead in Singapore
A Montanan found dead in Singapore. Authorities in the Southeast Asian nation assert that he committed suicide, and are continuing an investigation with the assistance of the FBI. Now, the parents of the man from Marion, Montana say they have access to a hard drive detailing a questionable proposal between his former firm and the Chinese.
CNN has this:
Shane Todd of Montana was working abroad in Singapore on the latest cell phone and radar technology, coveted by global corporations.
In his last months, Todd expressed stress about his work and even fear for his life, his family said. He wondered if his work might be illegal or a risk to U.S. national security, his parents said.
After his death, Todd’s parents found that his hard drive contained a proposal between the Singapore outfit and a prominent Chinese telecom firm, Huawei, to build a powerful amplifier using gallium nitride technology.
Click here to read the full story, video can be seen below.
From The New York Times:
Among the discrepancies alleged by the family: Mr. Todd’s mother doesn’t believe her son wrote a suicide note, one of several allegedly found in his home, since information in it was wrong, she said. The bathroom where Singaporean investigators said he died didn’t show the holes in the wall and other things they said were used in his suicide, the Todds said, after inspecting the site shortly after his death. A pathologist hired by the parents in the United States after their son’s body was flown back said it showed signs of struggle, and ruled the death a homicide. A computer expert they hired said someone looked at some of Mr. Todd’s files in an external computer hard drive found in his apartment, days after his death, and tried to delete one.
Jerry Seper had this with The Washington Times:
A U.S. intelligence official who asked not to be identified said Huawei has been of recent concern to the U.S. over its sharing of telecommunications equipment with the Chinese government and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. In October 2010, The Wall Street Journal reported that Huawei had become Iran’s leading provider of telecommunications equipment, including monitoring technologies that could be used for surveillance.
In October, a House intelligence subcommittee released a report that listed Huawei as a “national security threat” because of its suspected ties to various Chinese governmental agencies. The report suggested that the firm be barred from doing business with the U.S. government.