to think that my neighbour could have been murdered?

[Candymay]

I know it sounds rather dramatic and that’s why it’s an AIBU I suppose. I feel maybe I’m thinking too much about this.
Last week I posted here after finding my neighbour dead and I wasn’t able to save him. It appeared to be a drug overdose. The police were quick to decide it was not a crime scene therefore his friends could enter the home again etc.
(I’m worried about identifying myself here because I’ve posted about sensitive personal stuff in the past but I’ll have to give details so as not to annoy people here).
Here is some information and some of the odd things that are worrying me.
He was a young man and drug user but had lots of friends and a good life.
I noticed a smell from the house for a couple of days before we found him. When we found him he looked like he could have been dead a while (but I’m not sure about this). Things were quieter than usual for a couple of days at least and I had mentioned to my son that we hadn’t seen our neighbour at all.
The person who found him just before she came to get me called his close friend on the phone. She was crying and panicking. The friend told her he would be there in an hour. Why did he not suggest calling an ambulance or the police? He called neither.
I called the police.
This same friend did come to the house an hour later told the police he had seen the deceased man that morning and that he had definitely been alive a few hours before. He described where he was lying and exactly what he was wearing. I know this is accurate because I had been in the house with the body. What troubles me is why would he see his friend on the floor and leave him there? He said that he was alive and that he (the deceased) had waved at him and told him to leave. So he had left.
The front door was left unlocked. This is another odd thing. It makes me think that perhaps the friend forgot to lock the door because he had seen his friend dead and panicked? Or that he wanted to leave the door for someone else to easily find him.
There was food on the floor that had been dropped- presumably by the deceased. Why would the friend who saw him in the morning not have noticed this was amiss or cleaned it up?
Another close friend of the deceased left the country abruptly just before the body was found. He had sent a text to the other friend to ask him to check on the deceased to make sure he was ok. This was the reason the friend had visited in the morning. Surely the sight he was met with would be clear that the man was unwell and desperately needed medical attention?
We have since checked the flat completely and the deceased’s phone is missing along with his bank card and driving license.
The police are not investigating. They say it is an accidental overdose and that’s the end of the matter.
Please no one be nasty to me but I just find it all very strange and suspicious.
What do other people think?

I should probably also add that all the people involved in this are very wealthy.

Have you told all this to the police? Surely there will be a post-mortem which will tell them when he died?

I saw your thread last week, and I'm so sorry you're going through all this.

I think you should definitely mention the above to the police (if you haven't yet).

From what you're saying, it sounds possible that one or more of your neighbour's "friends" robbed the house after he died.

I think as long as you have told the police all this then stop worrying. A post motel will determine if he had died that day it some days before.

*post mortem

Oh, if all of them are wealthy enough not to worry about paying for their own drugs (if they also have habits), I suppose that makes theft slightly less likely.

It could still be an accidental death, but the friends may have things to hide.

It may not be as far along as murder, but maybe they were there when he od'd but don't want any part of it.

I know from personal experience if its a murder the police don't let anyone near the crime scene.
I would imagine a post mortem has taken place.

Accidental overdoses are fairly common among drug users, though, they don't all end in death.
The guy that has scarperred may well have been using with your neighbour, then realised he was dead once he "sobered up".
So not necessarily murdered but he possibly left the scene without reporting the death.
Difficult though it may be, I would try not to give this too much headspace.

Toxicology will reveal a lot of what went on I imagine

Does sound like he knew he od’d and did a runner so as not to be involved

Certainly seems suspicious and it’s a shame you are in this situation. I feel the only thing you can do is tell the police and mabey press on that they need to investigate.

Is there any way you can get in contact with the deceased boy’s family ?
Mabey they would be able to get on at the police to re open the case.

Put your concerns in writing and send them to the police, with proof that you have done so. Send them both to the person in charge of the incident (assuming there is one) and to the head of the police in your region. Offer to give a statement. Perhaps find out when the inquest will be and see whether you can give a statement to that?

That is not the end of the matter. An accidental overdose still requires the police to investigate on behalf of the coroner. Only the coroner can actually rule on the reason for death. The police can only rule out suspicious circumstances on the day. A detective inspector will have had to visit and assess the scene. A post morgen will take place.

If the coroner is unhappy with the police investigation they will ask for further.

They are privy to far more information than you.

Sounds like there is a bit of collusion there and a chance for them to grab what they wanted and light out of there. Druggies do not appear to be concerned citizens. I would try not to worry.

IMHO I think it would be highly inappropriate for the OP to contact the deceased's family and off load her suspicions onto them.
Presumably, they are currently grieving for their son/brother/father/uncle without needing to deal with these suspicions too.
If you have reported your thoughts to the Police, OP, then IMHO, you have fulfilled your civic duty.

Right! Ok.This whole thing is fucked up. You find a dead body and the first person calls a friend and comes to get you and you call the police? Why didn’t you call an ambulance? And then you’ve been through the whole flat and know that someone’s bank card is missing? How the hell would you know that? FGS - what right have you got firstly to go through his belongings? Massively intrusive of you for starters. Secondly if these things are missing you’re the one person we know who’s just been in there in his belongings - so it looks a lot like you could have done it. How would you prove otherwise ? You left yourself exposed to accusations of theft by the next of kin.
When a person dies quite often the police will remove valuable items - quite frankly to stop nosy bloody neighbours going into properties and helping themselves. How do you know the rest of the information - how do you know someone abruptly left the country ? All this is sounding incredibly suspicious I’m afraid as far as your involvement is concerned. I’m sorry you had a shock.... I would suggest they were partying together taking drugs and knew that he’d overdosed and legged it. Druggies do that kind of thing you know. Someone’s worried because they gave him the drugs that killed him ( supply) If he’d only died that morning he would not be smelling the same day.... he would have been dead a while... depending on how hot it was at the time. I think you need to stop any further involvement - you may need to speak to the police up front and tell them what you’ve done and why.

Oh and police will have removed ID documents, bank cards, cash, valuables and phone

Thank you for all your calm and interesting responses.
I know some of the man’s friends but none of his family. I know his mother is dreadfully upset.
The missing items from the flat had to have been taken before he was found dead because after that time I was one of the two people in there.
I thought that the police would have been picking up all of this information as I was at the time. I was listening to the friends and noticing all the discrepancies. The police didn’t seem interested in investigating. I understand that they probably see lots of overdoses and they don’t dig deeper maybe.
I haven’t told the police all of the details in a list as I did in my post, but these were all said when the police were at the house. They may not know about the phone and bank card.
Yes it makes sense that perhaps it’s so odd because they are hiding that they were with him and then wanted to get away and not be involved. That makes more sense than murder I suppose. It’s just the scene looked odd. I will try not to worry but I’m on edge and it’s never far from my mind.
The lodger who was staying there is still living in the house and she tells me that she is very suspicious and wants his family to investigate.
If the autopsy showed a different time of death for example, do you think the police would then question the friend? No one gave statements they were just talking to the police informally.

It sounds more to me that his friends were with him doing drugs and when your neighbour overdosed and died, they left him there out of fear of being caught themselves or implicated in supplying him drugs that caused his death. His phone missing would also indicate this (especially if they had been calling dealers/texting about meeting up that night etc), not sure about the bank card and ID but he might have simply misplaced those before he died.

I would say to do your best to let this go and leave it to the Police, as others have said this isn't the end of it and the coroner will give insight that may lead to further investigation.

The police will be investigating. It’s a Special Procedures Investigation. Just because they didn’t decide a murder scene doesn’t mean their involvement ended there.

As a sibling to an addict I can only say that what you see as suspicious is life with a loved one as an addict. Missing valuables, yes, they don’t look after them. Finding them in a state as per any normal persons judgement but not as they live their lives, yes, getting on with your own life after years of putting it on hold due to their addiction and 😱 taking a holiday in the summer, yes, you come to the point where by you know that at any point they might be dead and there is nothing you can really do about it.
This is life with a loved one as an addict, not you as the starring role in a Miss Marple novel.
Have you not considered that the addict is known to authorities? They will know better then you at which point he was dead so can work out themselves if he was dead at the point his friend said he saw him alive, addicts whilst under the influence are kind of shit at locking doors and as the person checking on them you always leave a point of entry open.
Rather than finding exciting drama in his demise maybe you could find an ounce of pity for the people who did their best to support him despite the fruitlessness of the endeavour and the toll it takes on them.

these concerns are probably best directed to the police or the coroner but not random people on the internet who by the way the things you mention in the op are very outing

It may not be as far along as murder, but maybe they were there when he od'd but don't want any part of it.

This is what I wonder, or maybe they supplied him with the drugs.

Hopefully the PM will shed some light

So sorry OP - what a distressing thing to be caught up in x

I would imagine his friends wouldn't want the police digging around to find out who gave the man the drugs, where they came from originally, and so on.

Anyone who takes drugs knows its basically Russian roulette, so will not want to make themselves too known, and possibly implicated.

I didn’t go through his flat and look at any of his belongings. I wouldn’t intrude at all. I only went in to see if I could help him. I then called the emergency services and I didn’t allow anyone else in because i wanted to protect him.
I know all of the because I know a couple of his very close friends. And I’ve known him for many years too. They have told me these worries. All the details are what the friends said to the police at the time.

But that’s really interesting to know that the police would take phones and bank cards. That makes a lot of sense and would be really good so I hope that is the case.

And yes the police did say that the coroner is the person who decides if they need to investigate. (I think that’s what they said). I’m just not familiar with how these things work and I suppose the police see it often.