Police in San Fernando town believed that the dead person who was found in Purok Sambag 1 in Barangay Ilaya could be an ex-convict following his BC 45 tattoo found in his right thigh. | contributed photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — San Fernando police are not discounting the possibility that the dead person found in a roadside canal in Purok Sambag 1 in Barangay Ilaya on Saturday morning, April 9, who remains unidentified, could be a former convict and, at the same time, a salvage victim.
This was the initial statement of Police Major Efren Diaz Jr., chief of San Fernando Police Station, about the still unidentified dead person, whom they believed was not a resident of the town but was just left there dead and bathed with blood, tied and blindfolded.
Diaz said that they responded to this report at past 8 a.m. on April 9, 2022, after someone appeared at their station who informed them that he saw this person already lifeless.
With this said, Diaz directed his personnel to look for possible security cameras from nearby areas to further verify the information that they got that there was a black pickup that passed by the area around 3 a.m. on the same day.
Despite admitting that they were still in the process of gathering pieces of evidence, Diaz said that they believed the victim was an ex-convict because of the “BC 45” tattoo he had on his right thigh. He, however, is still uncertain if the victim was from Cebu City or Cebu Provincial Jail.
“Murag ex-convict ni kay naa ni tattoo nga “BC 45″. Tong mga grupo sa priso ba, ambot kung sa city jail or provincial jail ba ni gikan,” Diaz said.
(This is perhaps an ex-convict because he has a “BC 45” tattoo. This is tattoo of a group of those in prison, I don’t know if he came from the City Jail or the provincial jail.)
Diaz said that the victim when found was wearing a white shirt and blue and white checkered shorts.
As of this posting, there were no relatives, who appeared at the station and claimed the body of the victim.
For his part, Police Corporal Mario Paul Pino, police investigator, said that they believed that the victim was just recently killed considering that there was no foul smell yet in the area.
Pino added that they had yet to get statements from possible witnesses and look for footage of security cameras from nearby areas.
Pino added that the victim’s tattoo that they saw on his body might help them in identifying him.
Pending results from the personnel of the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO), Pino said that he saw gunshot wounds on the body of the victim.
He, however, could not tell which part the victim was shot and times he was shot.
“Pinakaklaro gyud is naay syay gunshot wounds…di kaayo maklaro kay napuno man syag dugo,” he said.
(What is clear is he has gunshot wounds…it cannot be clearly seen because he was covered in blood.)
Pino said that it would also be impossible for them to get security cameras from the area as Purok Sambag 1 is a secluded area with no establishments nearby.
“Sudlunon kaayo, way signal. Not sort of a mountain area pero sudlunon kaayo. Patag siya pero sudlunon kaayo,”he said.
(It is a secluded area with no signal. Not sort of a mountain area but it is secluded. It is a flat area but it is very secluded.)
San Fernando town is a second class municipality of the province of Cebu, which is estimated to be around 34 kilometers, south of Cebu City.
READ: ‘Abducted’ couple from Minglanilla town found dead in San Fernando, Cebu