• RICHARD T. CABALLERO JR.
The lifeless body of an unidentified man, in the state of decomposition, was found at the river of Barangay Sag-ang in the town of La Castellana on Thursday morning.
According to Police Major Melchor Patna-an, La Castellana MPS Officer-in-Charge, the decomposing body had been dead for at least five days, exhibiting signs of bloating, discoloration, and the start of tissue breakdown.
Based on the investigation by the police, Arnie Padrones, a resident of the area, was on his way to harvest vegetables when he noticed a man lying down by the river.
The witness reported the incident, and upon the arrival of the police, they found a lifeless man wearing blue maong pants and a blue election campaign shirt of a candidate running for a position in Bacolod City.
The La Castellana police has coordinated with the Bacolod City Police Office for the possible identification of the cadaver, Patna-an said.
Moreover, the police described the cadaver to be at least 5 feet tall and has a visible tattoo on his left shoulder with an image of a candlestick and the tattooed name “Melvin.”
The La Castellana MPS is currently looking into the possibility that the victim drowned and drifted along the current of water due to the weather disturbance in the past few days.
As of the press time, Patna-an cited that there is no missing person reported in La Castellana that could possibly be linked to the cadaver. The police are currently coordinating with their neighboring municipalities and cities to see if there are missing person reports.
The cadaver was brought to a funeral parlor and will undergo postmortem examination.*
