By Jennifer P. Rendon
The body found on a roadside in Estancia, Iloilo on February 14, 2021 has yet to be identified.
Executive Master Sergeant Paul Torrico, Estancia deputy police chief, said a family from the nearby Carles town went to check on the cadaver but they said it was not their relative.
There were also inquiries from Estancia town but all yielded negative result.
“We presumed that the victim is not from Estancia. We also believed he was killed somewhere else and his body was just thrown here,” Torrico said.
Police have also coordinated with youth gang leaders in the area, but they denied knowing the victim.
It can be noted that a body that bore head injuries was found morning of Sunday at a roadside in Barangay Daan Banwa.
A motorist saw the body at a grassy portion a few meters from the paved barangay road.
“We presumed that the victim was a teenager because of the way he looked. We also learned that he was just newly-circumcised,” Torrico earlier said.
Two bamboo poles around a meter long were found near the body.
The victim suffered laceration on his right eyebrow and multiple injuries on his head, which he could have gotten after he was struck with a hard object for several times.
Both his eyes also sustained hematoma, which Torrico said could indicate that he was punched several times.
“We are considering that possibility that he could have been a recruit for a youth gang in the area. He could have died of hazing,” he said.
Torrico said they already coordinated with nearby police stations in identifying the body.
