Police: No foul play in death of 18-year-old who drowned in Guadalupe River

A relative cries at the sight of the body of Christian Redoble, who died from drowning Tuesday night.  | Contributed Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Guadalupe police did not find any trace of foul play in the death of an 18-year-old man from Barangay Kalunsan in Cebu City, who was said to have drowned in floodwaters Tuesday night, December 3, 2019.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Clark Arriola, spokesperson of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), said the three companions of Christian Redoble were consistent in their claims that his drowning was an accident.

“In investigating cases where there are more than one witnesses, the police asks them separately. Here, the accounts of the three witnesses are consistent with each other,” Arriola said.

“Based on that, we can say that there is no foul play in his death because it would be difficult for his companions to connive and lie about it and still be consistent with their statements,” he added.

Redoble was said to be drinking liquor with three friends in a portion of the Guadalupe riverbank located at the vicinity of Barangay Kalunasan when he slipped and fell into the river.

He was carried by strong water current since it was raining in parts of the city then.

Redoble’s body was found a few meters away from were he fell.

Arriola said that while raining, which caused the rise of water level at the Guadalupe River may have been caused by Typhoon Tisoy, Redoble cannot be counted as a typhoon fatality.

Harold Alcontin, head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said Redoble may have fallen into the river as a result of his drunkeness. / dcb