Body with severed head found in Brgy. Malubog

Residents of Sitio Buongon, Barangay Malubog, Cebu City gather at the area where a decomposing body was found on Wednesday, January 31, 2024. | Screenshot from contributed video via Paul Lauro

CEBU CITY, Philippines – (UPDATED, 6:12 p.m., Wednesday, January 31) The decomposing body of a person was found at noon on Wednesday, January 31, 2024, along the road in Sitio Buongon in the mountain barangay of Malubog in Cebu City.

Meanwhile, a severed head believed to belong to the same person was found hanging on a rope that was tied to a nearby tree, according to a resident in the area, who shared a video on the discovery of the body to CDN Digital.

The resident said they were disturbed by a foul odor coming from the grassy area, which led them to discover the lifeless person.

Due to its advanced state of decomposition, residents found it hard to determine if the body belonged to a man or a woman.

Identity

Hours after the discovery of the body, a woman claimed that the body was that of her son, who has been missing since January 6.

The woman was Virginia Toray, who claimed that the lifeless body was her 20-year-old son, Earl Lawrence, a student of a university in Cebu City.

In previous weeks, posts about the missing Earl Lawrence were posted on social media by friends and family, hoping for his safe return. He was reportedly last seen in Barangay Busay, Cebu City.

The mother stated that she identified the body as her son because of the clothes and shoes, which were similar to what Earl Lawrence was wearing on the day he went missing.

She also shared that her son last asked permission to go to his school to attend an exam but he never made it home.

Malubog Barangay Captain Dennis Dabuco, for his part, said that they will be assessing whether there are Closed-circuit television (CCTV) at the area where the body was found, hoping it could provide footage that will help in uncovering what happened.

** Those facing huge personal problems or experiencing extreme sadness can reach out to and call Tawag Paglaum Centro Bisaya if they need someone to talk to. Tawag Paglaum Centro Bisaya is a 24/7 call-based hotline for suicide prevention and emotional crisis intervention established in Cebu. Anyone in Central Visayas experiencing a mental disorder relapse or suicidal thoughts may reach the hotline at 0939-936-5433 or 0927-654-1629.

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