Police: Autopsy on model shows no fatal injuries
The initial autopsy on a freelance model who was declared dead on arrival at a Quezon City hospital on Monday showed no external injuries that could have caused her death, although the police said they were awaiting the results of more laboratory tests before determining what led to her death.
A medico-legal report from the Forensic Unit of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) said that 23-year-old Gina Lima sustained only nonfatal external injuries. Forensic examiners also found organ congestion, including fluid in her lungs and a congested heart, which were consistent with initial findings pointing to possible cardio-respiratory distress.
Police Capt. Michael Aaron Alcantara, who conducted the examination on Tuesday, said the cause of death remains “undetermined” pending toxicology and histopathology tests. Still undergoing further analysis are samples of Lima’s blood, urine, stomach contents, vaginal swabs and tissue.
In a press briefing on Wednesday, QCPD spokesperson Police Major Jennifer Gannaban said that investigators were waiting for the results of the toxicology tests before looking at “other possible causes” for the victim’s death.
Twist in case
She added that some tablets and marijuana were recovered from the room where Lima was found unresponsive.
A twist, however, has developed in the case after the victim’s former boyfriend—the same man who brought her to the hospital after he said he found her unresponsive— was found dead in the house they shared in Quezon City on Tuesday morning.
Police Lt. Col. Edison Ouano, chief of the QCPD Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit, said that the 24-year-old man, who was not identified, was declared dead on arrival at Quezon City General Hospital. His death is being investigated as a suicide.
According to Ouano, they were looking at the possible role played by excessive online bashing in the incident. But he added that they were also conducting a parallel investigation into the man’s death.
Gannaban, meanwhile, clarified that he was never considered a suspect, saying, “We have not found any evidence that indicates he was involved.”
