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.
Photo from the Instagram account of Christine Dacera
“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.
“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.
Article continues after this advertisement“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.”
Article continues after this advertisement“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 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.
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.
READ: Four of Dacera’s friends maintain innocence
Meanwhile, the Dacera camp said they have yet to read the report submitted by the police.
“Hawak namin ang results to be honest, hindi pa namin nababasa. Mamaya kasama ang pamilya para isaisahin ang data na nakuha ng PNP [Philippine National Police],” Atty. Jose Ledda III, one of the lawyers of the Dacera family, told reporters at the Makati City Hall.
(We have the results but we have yet to read on it. Later we will scrutinize the data with the family.)
“Basahin pa lang namin. Mabilis ang process kanina so we have no time to extensively study the results,” he added.
(The process earlier was fast, we have yet to read about it so we have no time to extensively study the results.)
Dacera was found unconscious in a dry bathtub at a hotel in Makati City on January 1, following a night of partying with friends. She was rushed to a hospital, but doctors have declared her dead upon arrival.
The flight attendant’s family insisted she was raped and killed but the Makati City Prosecutor’s Office has required the police to give additional requirements to prove that there was foul play in Dacera’s death.
READ: Ma says Dacera’s friend had lapses in taking care of daughter
To date, the Makati police have yet to submit the toxicology report to the city prosecutor’s office.
