Middletown police confirm death as suspicious: What they're saying about the investigation
MIDDLETOWN – Police Chief Anthony Pesare confirmed at a Friday morning press conference the death of John Edward Corbett is being investigated as “suspicious” and called the investigation his department’s top priority, with the goal of providing closure for the family of the deceased.
The chief declined to go into very much detail beyond that as his detectives wait for the R.I. Medical Examiner’s report regarding the cause and manner of Corbett’s passing.
During the approximately 15-minute press conference, Pesare cited “several factors (he) obviously can’t reveal” when asked what led to the department’s determination that the death was suspicious and specifically declined to clarify whether Edward Corbett’s death is being investigated as a homicide.
“As we await the medical examiner’s conclusion, it would be premature for anyone to speculate about the nature of John’s passing,” said Pesare. “At this time, the evidence suggests this was an isolated incident and we have no reason to believe there is any threat to our community.”
When The Daily News and other news outlets in attendance inquired about unsubstantiated speculation in the local community about the possibility that Corbett was murdered, that he may have been stabbed or that there may have been signs of a struggle inside his home, he said, “People should not jump to conclusions before the evidence is in…there’s no reason to be concerned as a community in that regard…based on the facts we have at this point.”
Pesare also said that "evidence suggests this is an isolated incident."
Previous coverage:Police investigating cause of death of Middletown man. What we know.
When asked by The Daily News why the department decided to wait three days to publicly declare the death suspicious and tell the community they have no reason to worry about a threat, the chief cited the need to first identify the body and notify the next of kin.
The Daily News asked the department whether the death was suspicious and whether the community should have any safety concerns at 10:34 a.m. on Wednesday, March 15, nearly two hours after the department had issued a press release publicly identifying John Edward Corbett as the person found deceased at 916 West Main Road in Middletown.
A question asking if that three-day delay was necessitated due to Corbett’s body being difficult to immediately identify, the chief did not respond.
The chief indicated there would not be any further updates until next week at the earliest and stressed the state medical examiner’s schedule for issuing a report on the cause and manner of death is the key driver of that timeline.
He also said his department is working closely with the state Attorney General’s Newport County office on the investigation, and that Middletown detectives have seized “dozens of pieces of trace and digital evidence over the past two days” which are currently being examined.
Edwards, who followed in his father’s footsteps to become a well-regarded photographer working with local organizations such as the Preservation Society of Newport County and played on a local adult recreational kickball team for nearly 10 years, was 39 years old when he died.
This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Middletown body found deemed suspicious, investigation continues
