The body of a 28-year-old woman from Sogod, Cebu was discovered lying at an open ground area in Barangay Tipolo, Mandaue City, Cebu on Thursday evening, January 4, 2024. | Mandaue City Police Station photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines – The body of a 28-year-old woman from Sogod, northern Cebu, was discovered at an open lot along Ouano Avenue in Barangay Tipolo, Mandaue City, Cebu on Thursday evening, January 4, 2024.
The woman was later identified as 28-year-old Christine Pepito, a native of Ibabao, Sogod, Cebu.
Pepito was reportedly residing temporarily with her brother in Sitio Asinan, Mantuyong, Mandaue City.
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A police report revealed that Mandaue police received a call about a found dead person in an open lot near a mall in the area at around 8:25 p.m.
Immediately after, officers responded to the scene and found a lifeless woman lying on a supine position on the ground.
According to the report, a woman identified as Rhoda Jumawan, 47, also a native of Sogod, Cebu, reported the incident to authorities.
The witness told police that at around 7:30 p.m., she was about to urinate at a grassy portion of an open ground in Ouano Ave.
However, she allegedly noticed a foul odor in the area, which prompted her to check where it was coming from.
Jumawan then allegedly found a lifeless body lying on the ground and immediately reported it to the Mobile Patrol Unit (MPU) office.
According to the report, the dead woman had blisters on her skin, purges on orifices, and was already in a stage of decomposition when discovered.
It also disclosed that scene of the crime operatives (SOCO) were requested to assess the scene.
Furthermore, the report revealed that the possibility of the incident being a crime of murder or homicide cannot be ruled out by police as the body will first be subjected to an autopsy.
At around 10:30 p.m., the victim’s cadaver was brought to the Rolling Hills Funeral Homes located at Barangay Banilad, Mandaue City.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Franco Rudolf Oriol, deputy city director for administration and spokesperson of the Mandaue City Police Office, stated that the investigation is ongoing to determine what happened to Pepito.
Investigators are waiting for the results of the autopsy to find out the time and cause of Pepito’s death, according to Oriol.
He added that police have not identified any possible suspects, as of this writing.
/bmjo
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