Ashley Abad is laid to rest; family wants justice

Family and friends of Ashley Abad, all dressed in white, attend the Requiem Mass at the Sacred Heart Parish along D. Jakosalem St. Cebu City on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2019, before she is laid to rest at the Angelicum Garden of Angels in Mandaue City. |CDNDigital Photo/Delta Dyrecka Letigio

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Ashley Abad,  the 19-year-old student who collapsed in a Sinulog Party on January 19 and died the next day, was laid to rest  on Sunday, January 27, at the Angelicum Garden of Angels in Mandaue City.

 Abad,  in a pearl white coffin,  was surrounded by mourning friends and family who were tearful during the Reqiuem Mass for the once bubbly girl at the chapel of the Sacred Heart Church along D. Jakosalem Street, Cebu City.

The brother of Ashley, Arcain, spoke in behalf of the Abad family and extended his gratitude to the people who came to mourn with them.

“After this, we want to have justice for Ashley,” said Arcain.

The family of Ashley has just  agreed to have her body undergo an autopsy to identify the cause of her death.

Scene from the Requiem Mass at Cebu City’s Sacred Heart Parish Church for Ashley Abad, 19, on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2019. Abad collapsed during a Sinulog party on Jan. 19, 2019, and died a day later. |CDNDigital Photo/Delta Dyrecka Letigio

Ashley’s death was shrouded in controversy as it gained social media attention amid rumors that she died after unknowlingly ingesting a beverage mixed with liquid ecstacy.

The police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7), the agencies that have taken charge of the investigation, are yet to confirm the cause of Ashley’s death.

PDEA-7 Director Wardley Getalla said in an earlier statement that they can only wait for the results of the crime laboratory to identify if Ashley had indeed ingested any kind of illegal drugs before they can proceed with the investigation.

Chief Inspector Juanito Alaras, who heads the Mabolo Police Station,  told Cebu Daily News Digital that Ashley’s body has been processed by the Philippine National Police crime laboratory on Saturday, January 27.

Alaras said that the crime laboratory found it challenging to do the autopsy because the body was already embalmed prior to processing.

However, he assured that the crime lab has other means to identify the cause of death of the girl.

The police and the PDEA are now waiting for the results of the autopsy to determine their next move.

In an earlier statement, Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) director  Chief Superintendent Debold Sinas urged the boyfriend and friends of Ashley who were in the party with her to cooperate with the police.

If they refuse to cooperate, Sinas said they will be treated as a suspect in Ashley’s death. /elb