ASIDE from the decomposing body, investigators of the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office (LCPO) Homicide Section noticed that some of the toes of the late police officer of Cordova Police Station (CPS) had been cut.
Police Senior Insp. Alcon Escosura, chief of the Homicide Section, said they saw a red spot on the head of PO2 Ryan Casiban, but he was not able to confirm yet if it was a gunshot wound or was just due to the decomposition of the body.
Police will now base their investigation on the autopsy results.
Cebu Provincial Director Jose Macanas said the autopsy will help explain Casiban’s two mysterious blotter reports that had the names of retired generals Marcelo Garbo and Vicente Loot, mayor of Daanbantayan.
“Hintayin nalang natin ang autopsy. We’ll look deeper into the angles. Whether there was foul play or not, he was still a victim (Let’s just wait for the autopsy),” Macanas said.
As regards the connection of Casiban’s death and another policeman known as Atan Tajanlangit, Macanas said the public should not rush into conclusions.
“Mangiyak-ngiyak na yung tao. Hindi na makalabas kasi napapahiya. Even his children don’t want to go to school anymore (He’s in despair. He couldn’t go out because he was shamed),” the provincial director said.
Before he went missing last Aug. 10, Casiban called Senior Insp. Zosimo Jabas Jr., former chief of Cordova, to ask for help because someone threatened him and mentioned that it was Tajanlangit’s men, Senior Insp. Jomar Medil, the current chief of Cordova, said in an earlier interview.
The investigation should start on the “unusual trails” that Casiban left behind, Macanas said.
“Are these things normal? Isulat mo yung takot mo to mention another name? He’s mentioning a lot who were involved in illegal drugs?” Macanas said.
“Let’s wait for the experts,” he added.
Casiban was last seen leaving the Cordova Police Station at 2:50 a.m last Aug. 10.
The policeman’s upper uniform, shoes, socks, belt, the station’s motorbike and his M16 rifle were found in a grassy area in Sitio Naga, Barangay Babag II, Lapu-Lapu City.
His body, which was already in a state of decomposition, was found two days later inside a firing range in the same city last Friday night.
The words “I want to write what is justice for all to stop all illegal drugs. God is in me,” were written by Casiban in the blotter.
Casiban’s wife Chona revealed in an earlier report that her husband only arrested drug suspects but didn’t do drug himself.
Police Regional Office 7 Director Noli Taliño said he will order a background check on Casiban.
Two days after he went missing, Casiban was found dead in a bushy area in Barangay Agus, Lapu-Lapu City at past 9 p.m. last Friday.
Casiban, 37, left at 2:50 a.m. last Wednesday using the CPS patrol motorcycle.
He was the desk officer assigned from 8 p.m. of August 9 until 8 a.m. of August 10.
In a phone interview, Escosura said they could not yet determine the cause of his death because they are still waiting for the result of the autopsy.
“Kon gikaon pa to sa mananap, tanang lawas unta pinaakan. Kato ra duha ka tudlo ang nawa (If it’s the result of decomposition, the body must have been included. But only the two toes are missing),” he said.
Escosura could not also say whether the police officer was tortured or not.
Wait
He said they will wait for the result of the autopsy before they can conclude anything.
About 7:30 a.m. last Wednesday, CPS received a call from Lapu-Lapu Police Station 3 that Casiban’s upper uniform, his shoes and socks, his belt, the station’s patrol motorcycle and M16 rifle were found in a bushy area in Sitio Naga, Barangay Babag II.
Last Friday night, members of the Lapu-Lapu Police Station 4 and Homicide Section found his body in a vacant lot in Agus near the Wonderland Firing Range.
Authorities recovered his 9mm pistol with magazine, two other magazines, a handcuff and a cellphone unit used as the hotline of CPS.
SPO2 Allan Pantaleon of the Homicide Section said a man and his friends were looking for spiders in the bushy area when he smelled a foul odor and saw the dead body.
Casiban, who was wearing a white t-shirt and his lower uniform, was identified by his mother Marilou.
When Chona went to CPS to see Senior Insp. Jomar Medil, the station chief, she said her husband was not into illegal drugs.
In fact, Casiban was found negative during a random drug test last July in the CPS, Medil said.
Chona said her husband only played mahjong in his free time.
Other police officers assigned in CPS described Casiban as a quiet person and would only smile when his colleagues cracked jokes.
During the investigation, Escosura said they will call all the persons concerned, including those names that were mentioned by the late police officer before his death.