The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) conducted a re-autopsy for five hours on the body of flight attendant Christine Dacera before she was laid to rest on Sunday, January 10.
The re-autopsy was aimed at shedding light on the controversial death of Dacera, who was found dead in a bathtub at a Makati hotel on January 1 after a night of partying with her friends last New Year’s Eve.
This comes even with the concerns of experts that the full autopsy should have been conducted while the remains were fresh and yet embalmed.
Some experts argue that an embalmed body must have been already contaminated and most of the vital basis for autopsy including blood for toxicology report have already been flushed out.
Lawyer Ferdinand Lavin, NBI deputy director, admitted that some of the evidence they collected appeared “compromised”. He said it might be difficult to establish whether there was sexual abuse before she was found dead.
Despite this, Lavin assured they applied the “full forensic investigation” process to determine what really happened to the 23-year-old.
“We know that it was quite impossible (to get proper evidence) considering that there have already been some compromises and the body has shown signs of deterioration but we were not discouraged by that,” he said in an interview with reporters on Saturday night.
The initial examination conducted by the Southern Police District’s Crime Laboratory Office ruled the cause of death as “ruptured aortic aneurysm.”
However, her family members believed she was a victim of sexual abuse.
Three of the 11 persons suspects, who claimed to be her friends, were released based on the order of the Makati prosecutor’s office due to lack of evidence.
