Thomas Gilbert: $200m hedge fund founder found shot dead in New York apartment

The 70-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene

Police said they are looking to speak to Mr Gilbert's son (AFP/Getty)

A US $200 million hedge fund founder has been discovered shot dead in his New York flat.

Thomas Gilbert, 70, died from a single shot to the head, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene of his Manhattan apartment in Beekman Place on the city's East Side.

According to Bloomberg, authorities have taken his son in for questioning. However, he has not been charged with any crime.

"Right now, we're looking to speak to his son, who was the last person to see him alive," police spokesman Lieutenant John Grimpel said. He did not identify the son.

The death has not been ruled a homicide, but will await a coroner's findings. A .40-caliber handgun was recovered at the scene, he said.

Mr Gilbert, a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Business School, founded Wainscott Capital Partners Fund in 2011. The fund has $200 million (£131m) in assets and focuses on the biotech and health care industries.

He previously co-founded Syzygy Therapeutics, a biotech asset acquisition fund.