(Eagle News) — The National Bureau of Investigation will conduct its own probe of the death of flight attendant Christine Dacera.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra ordered NBI officer-in-charge Eric Distor to carry out the investigation after three individuals police considered suspects and were arrested were released by the Makati Prosecutor’s Office for further investigation.
The Makati Prosecutor’s Office set the preliminary investigation to January 13.
Guevarra said the release was because “initial investigation by the Makati police was not thorough enough.”
“The longer it takes to examine the remains of the deceased and gather pieces of other evidence, the more difficult it becomes to establish the true cause of her death and identify any person liable … if a crime was indeed committed,” he added.
Guevarra asked Distor to submit a report in ten days.
Dacera was found unresponsive at the City Grand Hotel in Makati on January 1, after a New Year’s Eve party.
She was declared dead on arrival at the Makati Medical Center.
Her family said she was drugged and then sexually abused.
Her friends, who were with her at the party, denied they raped and killed her.
They said they were there for her and gave her the care she needed. With a report from Moira Encina