PNP report says Dacera died of natural causes, rules out homicide
MANILA, Philippines — Flight attendant Christine Dacera died of natural causes, according to a medico-legal report released by the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Wednesday.
In its report dated January 11, the PNP Crime Laboratory ruled out homicide as a manner of death, saying Dacera died of a ruptured aortic aneurysm.
The report submitted to the Makati Prosecutor’s Office during the continuation of the preliminary investigation on the case stated that the aneurysm was triggered by an increase in blood pressure.
The loss of blood due to a ruptured aorta killed Dacera “within a few hours.”
“Rape and/or drug overdose will not result (in) the development of aneurysms. Even overdose and ruptured aneurysm are two different conditions and cannot be both included as cause of death of a patient,” it stated.
“Based on the available information on hand the manner of death is classified as natural death,” it added.
Dacera died on January 1 after a night of merry-making with some of her friends. Her family believed she was drugged and sexually abused but her companions denied the allegations.
In the medico-legal report, the PNP said that no alcohol or recreational drugs that were taken the night prior to her death will cause that kind of dilatation or defect on her aorta.
“That dilatation is a chronic condition and was present long before she died. If she did not die that fateful night, she will die in any scenario that represents an activity that will increase her blood pressure strong enough to tear that aneurysm,” the report said.
The report also noted that Dacera’s heart weighed 500 grams, which is larger than the normal 300 grams. The finding supports Dacera’s apparently undiagnosed hypertension, it added.
In an interview with reporters at Makati City hall, lawyer Mike Santiago, the counsel of the respondents in the Dacera case said they will let the documents “speak for itself,” and let the prosecutor decide on the evidence presented by the police.
“The PNP submitted today the partial results of the several examinations that they requested, so the documents will speak for itself so we will not make conclusions yet. We will not overstep the power or functions of the prosecutor in this case,” Santiago said.
Meanwhile, the camp of Dacera said they have yet to read the report submitted by the police. They will also await the report from the National Bureau of Investigation in connection with its own probe on the case.
“Mabilis naman yung process kanina, we have no time to extensively study the results. Nag-submit naman sila. Practice naman namin na kung may data kaming na-gather o documents na sinabmit sa amin kasama yung family para isa-isahin,” Atty. Jose Ledda III, one of the lawyers representing the Dacera family, said.
During the continuation of the preliminary investigation on Dacera’s case on Wednesday, the Makati Police submitted additional evidence such as medico-legal report and the results of the DNA analysis and laboratory examination.
But it has yet to submit the toxicology report to the Makati prosecutor’s office.
The next hearing is scheduled on February 3. – RRD (with details from Correspondent Dante Amento)
