Brother, now on life support at California Hospital, is chief suspect in Bison Dele case

Jet, Oct 7, 2002

The brother of missing former NBA player Bison Dele, Miles Dabord, who is the chief suspect in the case, reportedly is on life support, and FBI agents were wrapping up their Tahiti segment of the investigation at JET press time.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Dabord is "dead, living only through artificial means," according to his mother, Patricia Phillips.

Dabord was found unconscious Sept. 14 in Tijuana, Mexico, and taken to a hospital in California. He has been in a coma since.

Phillips also told the paper that doctors discovered severe damage to her son's brain as a result of an insulin overdose and failure to take his asthma medication.

The FBI arrested Dabord on suspicion of impersonating his younger brother while trying to buy $152,000 in gold coins in Phoenix.

Phillips said she fears her son may have tried to commit suicide because he was overcome with guilt, believing he was responsible for his brother's disappearance.

Investigators in Tahiti believe Dabord killed Dele, Dele's girlfriend Serena Karlan and the French captain on board Dele's 55-foot catamaran, Bertrand Saldo, all of whom haven't been seen since July 8 (JET, Sept. 30).

Dele, 33, formerly known as Brian Williams, played on the Chicago Bulls' championship team in 1996-97 season and later signed with the Pistons, where he played for two seasons.

Dele's sailboat was scheduled to sail from Tahiti, to Honolulu but investigators said Dabord docked it at a Tahitian port July 18 before departing the French territory.