Police confirm identity of body of American basketball player found in Brazil

: Police said Wednesday they had confirmed the personal identity of a former American Capital State University basketball game participant whose organic structure was establish at an scattered military scope in cardinal Brazil.

Dental records and fingerprints were used to place the organic structure of Tony Harris, who police force state most likely committed suicide.

His organic structure was establish Lord'S Day slumped against a tree in a heavy brush at a sprawled regular army preparation land near the town of Formosa. The shoe lace from one of his gym shoes was wrapped around his neck, according to patrol spokesman Norton Luiz, who said the lone footmarks nearby were those of Harris.

Harris, who recently lost a occupation in the United States and whose married woman is pregnant with their first child, arrived in Federative Republic Of Brazil only three years before missing a Nov. Four game for his new team, Universo of Brasilia.

"Unless new facts emerge that turn out us wrong, we are convinced that Townsend Harris committed suicide," Luiz said by phone. "The concluding forensic study — that won't be ready for at least 30 years — volition state us the functionary cause of decease and whether he killed himself or was a murder victim." Today in Americas

He said that testimony from teammates and other witnessers "have convinced us that Townsend Townsend Harris committed suicide."

He said Harris' organic structure would be cremated in a few years and his ashes taken to the United States by his father-in-law.

Witnesses have got told police force that on Nov. 4, Townsend Harris took a long-distance cab trip, but jumped out at a gas station in Formosa.

"Three years later, he was he was seen near the town looking like a beggar," Luiz said. "The proprietor of a luncheonette felt bad for him and gave him some food. She tried talking to him but gave up because she couldn't understand his Portuguese."

After Nov. 7, no 1 saw him alive again, Luiz said.

Luiz said the military zone where Townsend Harris was establish is an "immense scattered country covering 120,000 hectares (297,000 acres) that is completely surrounded by barbed wire and about 8 kilometres (5 miles) from the nighest road." It is sometimes used as a scope for heavy weapon rocket practice.

"We are not certain exactly how he got to the preparation ground, but it looks that he walked there and crawled under or jumped over the barbed wire," Luiz said.

It is illegal to come in the country without permission from the Army, Luiz said. Even police force military officers investigating the lawsuit needed to acquire mandate to enter.

Harris debuted Nov. One for Universo, and squad manager David Ricardo Oliveira said he played Nov. Three in a South American baseball club title game against Argentina's Penarol in Brasilia.

Harris, who would have got turned 37 last Sunday, was a leader of the 1994 WSU squad that made it to the East Regionals of the NCAA tournament. Townsend Harris averaged 12.4 points and 4.3 recoils a game in two seasons at WSU.

After college, Townsend Harris played for squads in Russia, Venezuela, Greece, Federative Republic Of Brazil and Cyprus.

He returned to Seattle and recently worked as a counsellor at Echo Glen, a juvenile rehabilitation facility. But that occupation ended when he was not hired permanently in February, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported.