Jakarta. The Jakarta Police has ruled out a murder case in the death of Metro TV editor Yodi Prabowo, saying on Saturday he had committed suicide using a knife he apparently bought himself.

The announcement came two weeks after a thorough investigation into the cause of his death. Police discovered his decomposing body in the ditch near Jalan Ulujami Raya, next to a wall of the nearby toll road on July 10.

Investigators said he had died more than 24 hours before his body was found.

“The facts we gathered from our examination, on site investigation, witnesses’ accounts, assessment by the experts, clues and other documents led to a conclusion that he had committed suicide,” Jakarta Police Criminal Investigation Unit Director Chief Comr. Tubagus Ade Hidayat said in a news conference in Jakarta.

Ace Hardware

He said investigators have traced the origin of the knife found at the scene and they ended up at an Ace Hardware store in South Tangerang.

"The first key evidence was the knife that led us to an Ace Hardware store in Rempoa. The knife carries a special brand and investigators found that it was only available in that store,” Tubagus said. 

Further investigation revealed that there had been only a single transaction of that specific knife in the past week during the investigation. Tubagus said investigators examined footages from the store’s security camera and found it was Yodi who made the transaction.

Yodi appeared on the footage in the same clothes he wore when his body was found, the officer said.

"We have the evidence -- the CCTV footage, purchase bill and parking ticket,” Tubagus said.

Yodi spent just eight minutes at the store and headed to the shelf where knives were on display, he said.

“He went directly to the rack when the knife was on display, spending around 2 minutes there and made the payment at the cashier desk. He then went to the parking lot and left for his office,” Tubagus said.

“It means he made a stop at the store with a single purpose of buying that knife.”

Police initially suspected a murder case after spotting stab wounds in the body two weeks ago.

“We remain open to any possibility if we get other information and clues,” Tubagus said.

HIV Test

Investigation into Yodi’s recent transactions prior to his death also revealed that he had visited a doctor at Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital in Jakarta.

Yodi had a consultation with a urology specialist and took an HIV test, Tubagus said.

“He had taken the HIV test on his own will, but the result didn’t come back yet when he died," the officer said, adding that the medical background could possibly become the motive for the 26-year-old to kill himself.

"We have consulted with a psychologist and the expert said that it could be closely related," he said.

Yodi has worked as visual editor for news broadcaster Metro TV for four and a half years.

He last appeared at the office on July 7, when he worked until around 10.30 p.m., Metro TV Chief Editor Don Bosco Selamun said earlier.

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