Cache of gold, mystery liquid emerge as clues in Durham man's death

New search warrants made public this week continue to reveal new details in the death of a prominent real estate developer.

Bill Bishop, 59, a prominent developer in the Tampa area was found unconscious in his Durham home on Dover Road, near the Hope Valley Country Club, on April 18. He died in a local hospital two days later.

Last month, investigators ruled Bishop's death a homicide.

The autopsy report states "ligature strangulation" as the cause of death, noting that led to a heart attack that deprived Bishop's brain of oxygen.

Although no charges have been filed in the case, police have focused their investigation on Bishop's 16-year-old son.

Warrant: Safe may hold clues to Durham man's death

Warrants: Police believe Durham man may have been murdered

In search warrants released this week, Durham Police went to a PNC Bank on W. Morgan Street to look at Bishop's safety deposit box.

They were looking for financial records, valuables and about $50,000 worth of gold bars.

It was not clear what police found, but the warrant said all police took were the financial records.

Another newly released search warrant shows that police continue to investigate Bishop's teenage son, who said he found his father unconscious in the theater room with a dog leash wrapped around his neck and the dog still on the leash. The leash wasn't on Bishop when paramedics arrived at the house.

Details of the teen's story have changed, investigators said, and he told first responders that his father emotionally abused him and that he wouldn't be upset if he died.

The new search warrant said that police seized a hypodermic needle and an unidentified clear liquid from the son's room. They plan to test it.

An application for a search warrant to examine a laptop Durham Academy had assigned to Bishop's son noted that investigators found suspicious information on the teen's cellphone, such as searches for calculating the value of an estate, transferring bank accounts after a death and the prices of gold.

The teen has declined to talk with police during their investigation, according to a previously released search warrant.