Dele is dead....sad news....

[Drbio]

Report: Brother claims in phone call three are dead

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ESPN.com news service


Prosecutors in Tahiti made the decision to open a murder investigation into the disappearance of former NBA player Bison Dele based on comments from the former girlfriend of Dele's older brother, the Los Angeles Times has reported.

The police official told the newspaper that Erica Weise told the FBI that Dele's older brother, Miles Dabord, informed her in a telephone conversation of a struggle aboard Dele's boat, the Hakuna Matata, that resulted in the deaths of Dele, his girlfriend, Serena Karlan, and the boat's captain, Bertrand Saldo.

Dabord reportedly deflected blame from himself, claiming during the phone call that the fight was started by Dele, the Times reported.

The call was reported to the FBI and the Sonoma County, Calif., Sheriff's Office. Sonoma County deputies confirmed they had received a phone call and forwarded the information to the FBI.

On Tuesday, Tahitian officials upgraded the investigation from a preliminary inquiry to a premeditated murder investigation. A premeditated murder investigation is the most serious level of any homicide charge under French law, the chief prosecutor for the territory of French Polynesia, Michel Marotte, told the Rocky Mountain News.

Dele, Karlan and Saldo have been missing since they left Papeete, Tahiti's capital city, aboard Dele's boat July 4. The boat was later found -- repainted and renamed -- in a private slip on Tahiti. Witnesses have said Dabord was seen docking the empty boat on July 15. He left the island two days later.

Dabord is wanted on two arrest warrants issued in connection with his allegedly posing as his brother to buy more than $150,000 in gold coins in Phoenix. Dabord is still at large and was last spotted in Tijuana, Mexico.

Officials with the FBI have refused to comment on the case. But Marotte confirmed to the Rocky Mountain News that the FBI is investigating phone calls made about what happened on the boat.

Marotte said the U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday officially requested the assistance of the French government in their investigation into the disappearance, adding that there are still two independent and parallel investigations being conducted, one by the U.S. and one by French law enforcement authorities.

Authorities spent Tuesday trying to construct a timeline of each person's activities on the boat, Marotte said.

Meanwhile, an international team of five investigators continued their examination of the boat. Investigators wearing masks and dressed in white head-to-toe suits searched the boat for 90 minutes Tuesday.

"No evidence of anything unusual was discovered on their initial survey of the boat," Marotte told the Rocky Mountain News. "But it's still possible that they could find something in their more detailed investigation as they clean up the boat."

A cursory search conducted earlier by French authorities found no blood stains or other signs of foul play, police officials have said.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.