The document discusses cause of death and manner of death as determined by medical examiners. It provides definitions and examples of the different classifications for manner of death - natural, accident, suicide, homicide, undetermined, and pending. For cause of death, it may list disease(s) or injuries that caused the death. The manner of death is determined by examining circumstances surrounding the death. Accompanying articles provide details on investigations and autopsies related to specific cases.

1. DENISE CRUZ PONTIPEDRA
BS-CRIM 2-2B
Cause of Death
Cause of Death is a term used to indicate the medical cause of death. It lists the disease(s) or
injuries that caused death. Specific cause of death information is recorded on the death
certificate and is entered into the Vital Statistics System of the State of Washington.
The reason why an accident occurred, a person took their own life, or why one person killed
another person are not investigated by the medical examiner for the purpose of death
certification.
Manner of Death
Manner of Death is the way to categorize death as required by the Washington State
Department of Health. The classifications are natural, accident, suicide, homicide,
undetermined, and pending. Only medical examiner's and coroners may use all of the manners
of death. Other certifiers must use natural or refer the death to the medical examiner. The
manner of death is determined by the medical examiner.
 Natural Deaths
Natural is defined as death caused solely by disease or natural process. If natural
death is hastened by injury (such as a fall or drowning in a bathtub), the manner of
death is not considered natural.
Sudden Unexplained Infant Death (SUID), formerly known as sudden infant death
syndrome (SIDS), is a subset of natural death. It is the sudden death of an infant
under one year of age which remains unexplained after a thorough and complete
investigation. The investigation includes a complete autopsy, examination of the death
scene, and clinical history. If significant risk factors were present, such as an unsafe
sleep environment, including co-sleeping or inappropriate bedding, then the cause of
death would fall out of the definition of SUID and the manner would be classified as
"undetermined."
 Accidental Deaths
Accident is defined for medical examiner death certification purposes as an unnatural
death resulting from an inadvertent chance happening. Traffic related fatalities
(involving vehicles used for transportation on any public roadway) are classified as
accidents. On the job injury related deaths are referred to as industrial deaths and are
classified as accidents. Deaths related to illicit drug or excessive medication use, in
the absence of specifically supporting the conclusion of the manner of death being
homicide or suicide, are classified as accident.
Traffic Deaths are a subset of accidental deaths, but deaths resulting from traffic
accidents are reported separately from other accidental deaths for statistical
purposes. A traffic death is defined as an unintentional death of a driver, passenger,
or pedestrian involving a motor vehicle on public roadways. Accidents involving motor
vehicles on private property (such as driveways) are not included in this category and

2. are classified non-traffic vehicular deaths. Classification of traffic related deaths as an
"accident" does not preclude the prosecution as a vehicular homicide by legal
authorities.
Complication of Therapy Deaths are accidental deaths that occur during or due to
complications that occur during medical, surgical, therapeutic, or diagnostic
procedures.
 Suicide
Suicide is defined for medical examiner death certification purposes as a death from
self-inflicted injury with evidence of intent to die. Evidence of intent includes an explicit
expression, such as a suicide note or verbal threat, previous attempts, or an act
constituting implicit intent. An example would be a self-inflicted contact/close range
gunshot wound (particularly of the head, chest, or abdomen) that is recognized as
having very high potential for lethality, and is considered to be implicit evidence of
intent to die.
 Homicide
Homicide is defined as the action of one person directly causing the death of
another. A death that occurs during and is related to the commission of a felony is
also considered homicide. A violent death may stem from some kind of deliberate or
purposeful action, but intent to cause death need not be present or proven for the
classification as homicide.
Homicide and murder are not the same. All murders are homicides, not all homicides
are murder. "Murder" is not an acceptable manner of death classification for death
certification purposes. "Murder" is a term used under specific conditions in criminal
law matters as as a general concept. An example might be that of unintentional
firearms-related hunting death. While it may be classified as a homicide, it is up to
legal authorities to determine when to prosecute such a case as "murder,"
"manslaughter," etc.
 Undetermined
Undetermined is listed as the manner of death classification in only a small number of
cases each year. Undetermined is an appropriate designation for cases that have very
little available information about the circumstances surrounding the death (e.g., partial
skeletal remains) or where known information equally supports, conflicts with, more
than one manner of death. An undetermined manner of death is assigned to cases of
unnatural death when a clear preponderance of evidence supporting a specific manner
(homicide, accident, or suicide) is not available.
Some unexpected infant deaths that are not classified as "natural" (SIDS), such as
when an unsafe sleeping environment is present, may be classified as "undetermined"
in manner.

3.  Pending
Pending may be listed temporarily on the death certificate for cause and/or manner
when additional investigation, information and/or test results are required for
certification. These classifications are generally amended as soon as additional
information becomes available.
ARTICLES
Medico-legal report: Dacera’s death due to natural cause; rules out rape, homicide.
MANILA, Philippines — Flight attendant Christine Dacera died of natural cause based on
a medico-legal report submitted Wednesday by the Makati police to the city prosecutor’s
office.
The report of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Crime Laboratory dated January 11,
2021, indicated that the 23-year-old Dacera had “ruptured aortic aneurysm,” which was
the underlying cause of her death.
“Based on the available information on hand, the manner of death is classified as natural
death,” according to the PNP Crime Laboratory report.
An aneurysm is common to senior citizens but it may also be experienced by younger
people “due to other factors,” the report explained, even citing that aneurysms can be
caused by “increased blood pressure” as in the case of Dacera.
An aneurysm is a defect in the arterial blood vessel wall causing dilatation, the report
added.

4. “In the person of Dacera, this happened in the aorta that the continuous increase in her
blood pressure within it (aorta) further weakened that defect and eventually burst,” the
PNP Crime Laboratory report pointed out.
“The moment there was a tear in the aorta, blood loss will occur and the patient is
expected to feel various symptoms like weakness, nausea, and diaphoresis that can
explain why she was feeling weird and unlike the feeling of a hangover from previous
drinking sessions.”
“The loss of blood due to the ruptured aorta killed her within a few hours,” it added.
Manner of death
The PNP Crime Laboratory report ruled out homicide as the cause of Dacera’s death.
There have been speculations that Dacera’s drink was spiked which could have triggered
the aneurysm but the report said that “no alcohol or recreational drugs taken the night
prior to her death will cause that kind of dilatation or defect on her aorta.”
It likewise noted that the dilatation or aneurysm started “a long time ago.”
“That dilatation is a chronic condition and was present long before she died. If she did
not die that fateful night, she will still die in any scenario that presents an activity that
will increase her blood pressure strong enough to tear that aneurysm,” the report stated.
It also noted that Dacera’s heart weighs 500 gm – 200 gm higher than a normal heart.
“This is a finding that supports Dacera’s apparently undiagnosed hypertension,” the
report said.
In an interview at Makati City Hall, lawyer Mike Santiago, the counsel of five respondents
in the Dacera case, said they will let the prosecutor decide on the evidence presented by
the police.
“The documents will speak for themselves so we will not make conclusions on this yet.
We will not overstep the power of prosecutor in this case,” he told reporters.
The respondents are expected to file their counter-affidavits in the next hearing
scheduled on February 3 at the Makati City Hall.

5. Autopsy shows Salilig died from 'severe blunt
force trauma'
The autopsy report from the Cavite Provincial Crime Laboratory has determined that
Adamson University student John Matthew Salilig died from "severe blunt force trauma
to the lower extremities."
The autopsy was completed Feb. 28, the same day Salilig's body was found buried in a
shallow grave in an empty lot in Imus City, Cavite.
The autopsy described the body as bloated and in decomposition stage.
Several hematomas — pooling of blood outside of a blood vessel — were noted on
Salilig's body, particularly on his chest and thighs.
The Laguna Provincial Police Office said the victim attended the initiation rites of the
Tau Gamma Phi (Triskilion) fraternity in Biñan, Laguna on Feb. 18, the day he went
missing.
His body was positively identified by his brother.
Several suspects linked to his death have been turned over to the Department of
Justice where they will undergo inquest proceedings before charges are filed.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assured the Salilig family that justice will be served.
"John was a child, a brother, a friend, a classmate, and a son of this nation, with a bright
future ahead of him," the President said.
"It is not through violence that we can measure the strength of our brotherhood," he also
said. "There should be no room for violence in our student organizations which our
children consider family, and in our schools which they consider their second home."

6. Tondo ‘chop-chop’ case: Crime of passion eyed
The Manila Police District (MPD) is considering as a crime of passion the killing of a
student in Tondo whose chopped body parts were found stuffed in two sacks in
Cavite last week.
Businessman Dante Reyes, 42, was arrested for the killing of 19-year-old student
Rusty de la Cruz on Dec. 29.
Reyes allegedly stabbed the victim then chopped him up following an argument
over a lost bet in online sabong or cockfight, MPD spokesman Capt. Philipp Ines
told The STAR
Ines said they are looking into a crime of passion as a motive for the killing because
of an alleged relationship between Reyes and the victim, although the suspect
denied this.
The suspect reportedly paid for the victim’s tuition, Ines added.
Police said Reyes was last seen with the victim, who visited the suspect’s house
along Masangkay street in Barangay 261, Tondo on Dec. 29.

7. The suspect was caught on closed-circuit television footage loading the sacks that
contained the victim’s remains in the back of a taxi.
Reyes allegedly dismembered the victim to hide evidence of the crime, according
to Ines.
The victim’s remains were found at a vacant lot in Bacoor, Cavite on Dec. 30.
The suspect is being held by police on murder charges.
CAUSE OF DEATH
Dr. Nestor Sator, who conducted the autopsy on the body testified in court that the
cause of the death of victim was “asphyxia by strangulation.”
Sator said the victim weas chopped into seven pieces with the use of a sharp bladed
instrument. He added the bodiy was cut at their joint areas which was the easiest
way to cut a body.
Sator said the body was cut after it was already dead.

8. Radio journalist Percival Mabasa shot and
killed in the Philippines

9. Mabasa was driving when two men on a motorcycle shot him at about 8:30 p.m. Monday in Las
Piñas, an urban area which is part of metropolitan Manila, state media reported. Footage from
local broadcasters shows bullet holes and shattered glass in the window of a car, adjacent to the
driver’s seat, and trails of blood on the road.
The journalist started his career in the early 1980s and rose to prominence in recent years as a
straight-shooting radio host who criticized officials for alleged corruption and hostility toward
civil rights. He challenged both the current administration and the authoritarian former president
Rodrigo Duterte, whose deadly war on drugs and attacks on press freedom have been criticized
by international observers. Mabasa’s YouTube Channel, Lapid Fire, had more than 200,000
subscribers by the time of his death.
“He was a regular guy, but he was a little bombastic and he used fighting words,” said Jonathan
de Santos, chair of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUPJ). “If he wanted to
call someone corrupt, he would do that. If he wanted to say someone was breaking the law, he
would do that.”
Mike Navallo, a journalist at the ABS-CBN media organization, called him a “hard-hitting
commentator” who dared to call out government officials. “He had a huge presence online and,
within metro Manila, he was quite known,” he said.
Roy Mabasa, a newspaper journalist and the slain host’s younger brother, said that Mabasa had
faced a few unsuccessful libel lawsuits and was cut from several stations due to his fierce
commentary.
However, twist of twists, a day after Escorial surrendered, Palaña died while being rushed to the
nearby NBP Hospital. On the other hand, Bacoto is alleged to be safely secured under the custody
of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.
Disbelieving “coincidences” and suspecting “foul play,” Remulla ordered the National Bureau of
Investigation (NBI) to conduct an autopsy even though Palaña had already been embalmed. The
still unnamed NBI medico-legal expert/s found “no apparent external injuries” on the body
thereby implying natural causes for the death.
NOT SATISFIED WITH THE NBI REPORT, Remulla and the Lapid family asked well-regarded Dr.
Raquel Fortun, the first Filipino woman forensic pathologist in the Philippines and head of the
Department of Pathology of the University of the Philippines Manila, to conduct a second autopsy
on the embalmed body of Palaña six days after the NBI examined it.
Fortun confirmed the NBI report that there was no “significant injury” in the internal or external
parts of Palaña’s body. Nonetheless, she asserted that Palaña’s death was not triggered by
natural causes but by asphyxia or suffocation likely by a plastic bag placed over the victim’s head.
She also found “complications in the lungs (pulmonary congestion, edema, and hemorrhages)
and schistosomiasis of the liver, a parasitic disease.”

10. To secure a conviction in criminal proceedings, especially for murder, the credible testimony of
credible witnesses is vital. The NBI and police said they have several NBP inmates who would
testify for the prosecution. This is probably why Escorial would be included as an accused; later
to be discharged from the case and granted immunity as a state witness. However, though the
DOJ can propose it, the trial court is granted by law the discretion whether to discharge him from
the charges and to admit him as a state witness.
CAUSE OF DEATH
IMPORTANT, TOO, ARE THE TWO AUTOPSIES. Generally, an autopsy, also known as a
postmortem examination, is a specialized surgical procedure to determine the cause and manner
of death. More particularly, a medico-legal autopsy is performed to answer questions about the
identity, cause of death, time of death, circumstances of death, etc., thus helping the law
enforcers solve the crime. Autopsy reports may be likened to medico-legal reports; both are
similarly bound by the standard evidentiary rules on the admissibility of evidence, authentication,
and expert witnesses.
The first autopsy conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) showed that Villamor
had a heart hemorrhage and that there were no signs of physical injuries on the body.
Thereafter, Remulla asked Fortun to conduct a second autopsy on request of Percy Lapid’s family.
In his affidavit containing his confession in the killing of Percy Lapid, Escorial named Villamor as
the NBP insider who hired him to do the job for P550,000 reward.
Escorial said that on Oct. 3 when he shot Percy Lapid three times in Las Pinas City, he was with
brothers Edmon and Israel Dimaculangan, and a person identified only as “Orly” or “Orlando.
The four of them have been charged with murder by the Philippine National Police (PNP) before
the DOJ which has started a preliminary investigation.
Remulla had said the death of Villamor may be considered a murder case just like of that of Percy
Lapid’s.
“It’s possible the Jun Villamor case would be a possible murder case too kaya (That’s why) we’re
also investigating that. It’s our obligation to do that,” Remulla said.
The NBI and the PNP have started a joint probe on the death of Villamor.
On the P550,000 reward for Percy Lapid’s killing, Remulla said the Anti-Money Laundering Council
(AMLC) has also been asked to work together with the NBI in scrutinizing the bank account or
accounts of those involved in the transfer of the money. In his affidavit, Escorial admitted that he
got his P140,000 share through a bank deposit.

11. “Merong trail yan (There is a trail). We’ll follow the money,” he said.
Last Wednesday, Oct. 26, Remulla said the government has in its custody eight “persons of
interest” in the Percy Lapid killing.