THE decomposing body of a 25-year-old man was found on Wednesday, November 27, in a vacant lot in St. Francis Village, Barangay Taculing, Bacolod City.
Police identified the victim as Arjay Espinase of Purok Sibucao, Barangay Banago.
Police Captain Elmer Bonilla, chief of Police Station 6, said the body of the victim was found by residents of Barangay Taculing at around 6:44 a.m.
"He was already in an advanced state of decomposition, so we cannot conclude yet his cause of death. For now, we cannot determine if he was shot or stabbed in the area," he said.
The police chief added that the victim was wearing a T-shirt and shorts. The victim's slippers were also recovered in the area.
Investigation showed on Friday, November 22, that Espinase and his friends attended a birthday party in Barangay Taculing. When they were about to go home, he informed his friends that he will be meeting someone within the barangay.
Bonilla said the victim was reported missing after he failed to go home on Friday.
According to Espinase's friends, they were still texting before he was reported missing. The victim's cellular phone was also missing.
Bonilla said the Scene of the Crime Operatives (Soco) recommended an autopsy, but Espinase's family declined the procedure as they have come to terms with what happened to the victim.
He said they will check the closed circuit television (CCTV) camera footage in the area to identify the perpetrators.
The police also urged witnesses to surface to help them identify the killers of the victim.