A police spokesperson said the medical examiner had already determined the cause of death, but the Erie County Health Department now says that’s not true.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — There’s been a clarification regarding the death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, the 56-year-old man found dead on Tuesday night in downtown Buffalo.
A Buffalo Police spokesperson on Wednesday said “the Erie County Medical Examiner conducted a full autopsy. The cause of death was health related in nature. Exposure and homicide have been ruled out.”
But the Erie County Department of Health on Thursday contradicted that statement, saying such information has not been provided to anyone. Here’s what the health department said, in full:
“The Erie County Department of Health needs to correct errors widely reported in media related to this week’s death of an individual, Nurul Amin Shah Alam. Despite reports that our Medical Examiner’s Office has established a cause and manner of death, we have not provided that information to anyone. Our Office is still investigating, this case is still pending, and we do not have a timeline for when our investigation will be complete.
“When we do have our findings, we will share them with appropriate law enforcement agencies and others legally entitled to that information.
“We do not have any other information to release.”
Shah Alam was arrested by Buffalo Police officers on Feb. 15, 2025, after he was found in a resident’s yard in Buffalo.
Shah Alam was held at the Erie County jail from then until his release last week, on Feb. 19, when he was turned over to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol before being dropped off at a Tim Hortons that was reportedly closed, then ultimately reported missing.