Elderly woman with severed head found in Dumanjug, Cebu

The body of Miguela Barino was found on the balcony of her home in Brgy. Candabong, Dumanjug town, southern Cebu on Saturday morning, February 1. | Contributed photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines – An 83-year-old woman with a severed head was found on the balcony of her home in Brgy. Candabong in Dumanjug town, southwestern Cebu on Saturday morning, February 1. 

Investigation by the Dumanjug police showed that the woman, who was identified as Miguela Barino, may have died of heart attack.

They ruled out third party involvement in her death.  Instead, they considered the possibility that dogs may have severed the woman’s head.

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Barino’s head was found at the bottom of the stairs.

Police Captain Eden Rex Baguio, chief of the Dumanjug Police Station, said that Barino’s body was already decomposing when found. Considering that her body was beginning to decompose, he said that her dogs may have taken interest on it and started to bite her neck, causing her head to fall.

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Baguio said that it took at least 48 hours or two days for a relative to discover Barino’s body.

He said that Barino had been living alone in her house after her husband died 10 years ago.  The couple did not have any children.

Isolated place

Barino’s home was in an isolated area, with the closest neighbor located about 500 meters away.

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Her only companions were her five dogs.

At around 11:15 a.m. on Saturday, her 9-year-old nephew came to visit Barino to supposedly run some errands for her.

It was the boy who saw her lifeless body and immediate called for help.

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Baguio said that Barino’s body was on the balcony of her home, that was made of light materials, when found while her head was at the bottom of the stairs.  He said that the elderly woman’s head barely had any flesh and skin left on it as the skull was already very visible.

No signs of struggle

During their investigation, Dumanjug police ruled that there was no third party involvement in Barino’s death as they did not find any signs of struggle.

Moreover, they found a handkerchief with cash amounting to P3, 400 that was tied to the waist area of her clothes while she was still wearing her necklace.

Police did not also see any signs that her house was ransacked.

Barino’s relatives also told the police that she did not have any enemies.

In a phone interview, Baguio said that Barino’s relatives are convinced that she died of natural causes and no longer intends to have her body subjected to an autopsy.

Severed head

They believed that she died of a heart attack, which caused her to fall into the balcony, with her head hanging on the stairs.

Baguio said that her dogs may have bitten her neck causing her head to fall at the bottom of the stairs.

However, he admitted that it was already difficult to determine if her neck had bite marks because of the current state of the Barino’s body.

Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) said that Barino had been dead for at least 48 hours.

Baguio said that Barino’s body experienced rapid decomposition because it was exposed to extreme heat and wind in the last two days.

He said that the body was not immediately discovered because of the distance of her house from the nearest neighbor.

Dumanjug is a first-class municipality located approximately 78 kilometers southwest of Cebu City. | with a report from Paul Lauro