500 signatures reached
To: Governor Kathy Hochul and Albany County District Attorney’s Office
Reopen JOSHUA ABOOD'S Case!
We are calling for justice in the death of Joshua Abood.
Joshua Abood died on June 10, 2020. His death was quickly and incorrectly ruled an “accidental drowning” despite overwhelming contradictions, legal violations, and missing evidence in both the medical and investigative record. We are demanding that this case be immediately reopened for a full and impartial forensic investigation.
Violation of New York Law and Forensic Standards
New York County Law §674 requires that suspicious or unattended deaths be referred to a board-certified forensic pathologist. The referral center for this region is Albany Medical Center’s Forensic Pathology Unit. Instead, Joshua’s autopsy was conducted at Ellis Hospital by a general pathologist (Bernard T. Ng, M.D.), in direct violation of this law. From the very beginning, the investigation was compromised.
A Rushed and Deficient Autopsy
The autopsy was completed in only 50 minutes .. an amount of time that is nowhere near enough for a suspicious death case. It failed to document critical basics:
No lividity
No rigor mortis
No estimated time of death
The drowning determination is also contradictory. Gross exam described “heavy, congested lungs with frothy fluid,” but the microscopic exam found “no intra-alveolar water.” This finding directly conflicts with drowning and was never explained.
No diatom testing was performed, leaving open whether Joshua drowned in that body of water at all.
Ignored and Downplayed Injuries
The official photo log clearly shows “injury to skull” and “deformation on left hand.” These findings never appeared in the written report, which minimized them to “scratches” or left them out altogether. Police noted a shoulder bruise that was similarly downgraded.
Defensive wounds on Joshua’s hands and human-like scratches on his chest were also ignored. These are not small details, they could be the difference between an accident and a homicide.
Flawed Toxicology and Redacted Evidence
Toxicology testing was limited to alcohol only. A voicemail from Marcus specifically mentioning cocaine was redacted from the record. Despite this, no comprehensive drug panel was performed. If drugs were involved, skipping testing and concealing details looks less like an investigation and more like a cover-up.
Contradictory Witness Statements
Three key witnesses - Tashawna, Gio, and Marcus - gave three entirely different sworn accounts.
Who walked with who: all different.
What Joshua was doing last: all different.
How they got home: all different.
These contradictions were never resolved, leaving the record unreliable and incomplete.
Suppressed Camera Footage
Case notes claimed Joshua was never seen after 12:06 am. That is false. Camera footage shows him twice more on the back porch, visibly unsettled and staring toward the Horseshoe where his body was later found. This evidence was either overlooked or deliberately left out.
The Pattern is Clear
Omissions. Contradictions. Redactions. A rushed autopsy done by the wrong doctor in the wrong facility. A case closed before toxicology and histology were complete.
This is not justice. This is not transparency.
We urge Governor Kathy Hochul and District Attorney David Soares to reopen the investigation into Joshua Abood’s death immediately. The public deserves answers, Joshua’s family deserves the truth, and this case deserves a proper forensic review.
Joshua Abood died on June 10, 2020. His death was quickly and incorrectly ruled an “accidental drowning” despite overwhelming contradictions, legal violations, and missing evidence in both the medical and investigative record. We are demanding that this case be immediately reopened for a full and impartial forensic investigation.
Violation of New York Law and Forensic Standards
New York County Law §674 requires that suspicious or unattended deaths be referred to a board-certified forensic pathologist. The referral center for this region is Albany Medical Center’s Forensic Pathology Unit. Instead, Joshua’s autopsy was conducted at Ellis Hospital by a general pathologist (Bernard T. Ng, M.D.), in direct violation of this law. From the very beginning, the investigation was compromised.
A Rushed and Deficient Autopsy
The autopsy was completed in only 50 minutes .. an amount of time that is nowhere near enough for a suspicious death case. It failed to document critical basics:
No lividity
No rigor mortis
No estimated time of death
The drowning determination is also contradictory. Gross exam described “heavy, congested lungs with frothy fluid,” but the microscopic exam found “no intra-alveolar water.” This finding directly conflicts with drowning and was never explained.
No diatom testing was performed, leaving open whether Joshua drowned in that body of water at all.
Ignored and Downplayed Injuries
The official photo log clearly shows “injury to skull” and “deformation on left hand.” These findings never appeared in the written report, which minimized them to “scratches” or left them out altogether. Police noted a shoulder bruise that was similarly downgraded.
Defensive wounds on Joshua’s hands and human-like scratches on his chest were also ignored. These are not small details, they could be the difference between an accident and a homicide.
Flawed Toxicology and Redacted Evidence
Toxicology testing was limited to alcohol only. A voicemail from Marcus specifically mentioning cocaine was redacted from the record. Despite this, no comprehensive drug panel was performed. If drugs were involved, skipping testing and concealing details looks less like an investigation and more like a cover-up.
Contradictory Witness Statements
Three key witnesses - Tashawna, Gio, and Marcus - gave three entirely different sworn accounts.
Who walked with who: all different.
What Joshua was doing last: all different.
How they got home: all different.
These contradictions were never resolved, leaving the record unreliable and incomplete.
Suppressed Camera Footage
Case notes claimed Joshua was never seen after 12:06 am. That is false. Camera footage shows him twice more on the back porch, visibly unsettled and staring toward the Horseshoe where his body was later found. This evidence was either overlooked or deliberately left out.
The Pattern is Clear
Omissions. Contradictions. Redactions. A rushed autopsy done by the wrong doctor in the wrong facility. A case closed before toxicology and histology were complete.
This is not justice. This is not transparency.
We urge Governor Kathy Hochul and District Attorney David Soares to reopen the investigation into Joshua Abood’s death immediately. The public deserves answers, Joshua’s family deserves the truth, and this case deserves a proper forensic review.
Why is this important?
Joshua’s case is bigger than one family…it’s about justice, accountability, and basic human rights. When a suspicious death is mishandled, when the law requiring a board-certified forensic pathologist is ignored, and when families are denied the truth, it creates a dangerous precedent for everyone.
If this could happen to Joshua, it could happen to your son, daughter, brother, or friend. We all deserve to know that when tragedy strikes, investigations will be handled with professionalism, honesty, and by the book .. not rushed, buried, or brushed aside.
Signing this petition means demanding transparency, accountability, and equal treatment under the law. Joshua’s life mattered & fighting for answers in his case protects every family in New York from facing the same injustice.
If this could happen to Joshua, it could happen to your son, daughter, brother, or friend. We all deserve to know that when tragedy strikes, investigations will be handled with professionalism, honesty, and by the book .. not rushed, buried, or brushed aside.
Signing this petition means demanding transparency, accountability, and equal treatment under the law. Joshua’s life mattered & fighting for answers in his case protects every family in New York from facing the same injustice.
How it will be delivered
This petition will be delivered to the Albany County DA, NYS Attorney General’s Public Integrity Bureau, NYS Dept. of Health, and the NYS Commission on Forensic Science, with copies sent to media to ensure our demand for justice cannot be ignored.