The Government of Liberia (GOL) and the Tolbert family have concluded that the late Peace Ambassador, Rev. William R. Tolbert, III, was murdered and has ruled out natural causes (high blood pressure leading to stroke) as the cause of his death.
According to information gathered from government and family sources, Rev. Tolbert’s body was taken to the Samuel Striker Funeral Home and the following were realized: there appeared four stab wounds on the right side of the head and two on the left side of the head. Each wound was at least four inches deep or more.
There was also a deep stab wound on the right shoulder and another one on the left side of the neck. There were also five deep stab wounds on the back of the neck and bruises on the top of both eyes and eyebrows.
After the examination of only the head of the body by the state and Tolbert family, it was concluded that the late Rev. William R. Tolbert, III was murdered.
The head of the forensic team, instead of proceeding further with the autopsy, made the pronouncement of the cause of death as murder and halted the process.
According to information gathered by the Hot Pepper, the family has insisted and is bent on conducting an autopsy to determine the actual cause of death.
This paper was informed that a pathologist is due in the country from Ghana to carry out the autopsy, but the source did not elaborate who is underwriting the cost.
According to family sources, Siafa Tolbert was being held by the Liberia National Police (LNP) for being in possession of illegal firearm, and not his complacency in the murder of his uncle.
The Tolbert family source said that Siafa Tolbert, being a technical person, was hired by the NSA to install their CC-TV, and during the process was issued a firearm by the then Director of the National Security Agency (NSA), Fumba Sirleaf. Unfortunately, the Sirleaf administration has expired along with the license for the firearm, and the arm should have been returned to the Agency, but Siafa Tolbert decided to keep the firearm for his personal use.
According to the Tolbert family’s source, the Mesurado compound is virtually empty and most of the renters, who comprised of mostly businessmen, have taken their businesses elsewhere, leaving the compound uninhibited. They said it was the tenants who were responsible for security on the compound, but now the compound has been reduced to having only a gateman, without any security.
They said, given the situation of the lack of security and owing to the vastness of the compound, it would have been impossible for the gateman to hear any disturbance or cry for help.