Police probe vendor’s death near Cebu City’s seawall

Police patrols the city’s streets at night.| stock photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Police are still investigating if the perfume and garments vendor, who was found dead at the seawall in Barangay San Roque, Cebu City at 8:30 p.m. of September 5, 2020, died of natural causes or was killed.

Police Captain Edgar Labe, Waterfront Police Station of the Cebu City Police Office (CPPO) chief, said that they were waiting for the autopsy results of the dead vendor, Dennis Bayatot, 48, of Barangay Sambag 1, Cebu City.

Labe said that Bayatot’s sister-in-law positively identified the body as that of his brother-in-law.

Investigation showed that the Waterfront policemen responded to a call about a man with no pulse found lying on the ground near the seawall.

Labe said initially, the people, who were in the area told police that Bayatot was probably shot dead.

Read: Police: Body found near Danao City river still unidentified

However, when the Scene of the Crimes Operatives arrived and inspected the body they found out that there were no gunshot wounds on the body.

They also found no blood coming out from Bayatot’s body.

“Murag gi assume ra nila nga napusilan pero wala man siyay samad,” said Labe.

(They assumed that he was shot dead but the SOCO could not find gunshot wounds on the victim.)

Labe said he asked the investigators of the case to do a background check on Bayatot especially since there were no witnesses, who saw and knew how Bayatot ended up in the area.

They found out that Bayatot had not returned home for months because he was busy with work as a perfume and garments vendor and he would often go around the city to sell his products.

The family also told the police that Bayatot was not involved in any illegal activities or had any known illnesses.