JUSTICE Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra said last Sunday that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is set to close its investigation into the death of 22-year-old flight attendant Christine Dacera inside a hotel in Makati City after celebrating the New Year with some of her friends.
Guevarra said the NBI would only need to obtain specimen from the Philippine National Police (PNP) to solve the puzzling death of Dacera, who the police earlier said was a rape-slay case.
The DOJ chief said the Philippine National Police (PNP) would share its specimens on flight attendant Christine Angelica Dacera today (Monday) that would enable the NBI to finally finish its investigation.
The NBI will also look into consideration the other evidence gathered by the PNP, including information taken from mobile phones and specimens from garments.
Guevarra said they made a request to the PNP to be provided with its evidence last January 27.
“I was informed that after receiving certain specified pieces of evidence from the police on Monday, the NBI will be in a position to wind up its investigation within the week, and submit its report to the DOJ for the consideration of the investigating prosecutor,” Guevarra said.
He earlier said that the NBI would be able to submit its report to the Makati City Prosecutor’s Office before the assigned prosecutor concludes its preliminary investigation and resolves the case.
The NBI was forced to take over the case after the Makati City Prosecutor’s Office ordered the release of several of Dacera’s friends from police custody after it ruled that the evidence submitted by police investigators were insufficient to establish a probable cause for their indictment before the trial court.
Guevarra directed the NBI to conduct reinvestigations due to conflicting claims by the police, Dacera’s relatives and her friends in connection with the flight attendant’s death.
Dacera’s family has been insisting that there was foul play while his friends who were with the victim claimed that she died of natural causes.
Based on the PNP Crime Laboratory Office’s (PNP-CLO) histopathology report submitted to the city prosecutor, Dacera reportedly died of cardiopulmonary arrest due to hypovolemic shock, and that the underlying cause of death was ruptured aortic aneurysm. This was reportedly consistent with the autopsy finding of Police Major Michael Nick Sarmiento, the CLO medical officer of the Southern Police District (SPD).
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