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Christine Dacera: Flight attendant died of natural causes as police rule out homicide and rape, says report

After a night of partying, 23-year-old Dacera was found unconscious and without a pulse in a bathtub at the City Garden Grand Hotel in Makati City around 12:30 pm on January 1

A Philippine National Police reported released on Wednesday ruled that flight attended Christine Dacera died of natural causes -- ruling out the possibility that her New Year's Day death was a crime. The PNP Crime Laboratory ruled out homicide in a medico-legal reported dated January 11, noting that she had died of aortic aneurysm, which was "a medical condition." Medico-legal officer Police Lt. Col. Joseph Palmero explained in a report that the loss of blood due to the ruptured aorta had killed Dacera "within a few hours." "Rape and/or drug overdose will not result (in) the development of aneurysms. Even overdose and ruptured aneurysm are two different conditions and cannot be both included as cause of death of a patient," Palmero explained. "Based on the available information on hand the manner of death is classified as natural death."

According to the report, alcohol or recreational drugs that Dacera took on New Year's Eve would not cause a kind of defect on her aorta. "That dilatation is a chronic condition and was present long before she died. If she did not die that fateful night, she will die in any scenario that represents an activity that will increase her blood pressure strong enough to tear that aneurysm," Palmero said.

After a night of partying, 23-year-old Dacera was found unconscious and without a pulse in a bathtub at the City Garden Grand Hotel in Makati City around 12:30 p.m. on January 1. Initially, police suspected foul play. They provisionally charged 11 men who she partied with although the autopsy reads the 23-year-old died due to a "ruptured aortic aneurysm." Recent developments saw her mother, Sharon lash out at the report. Talking on Headstart, she said, "For me, my daughter was raped."
 
"If you see the body of Christine, if you are the mother you will surely feel the pain suffered by Christine from them but my daughter cannot speak anymore because she died," she added. The footage of Christine kissing a man was also seen hours before her death. She was found dead the following day with "sperm and lacerations" on her body. There were also bruises and scratches that led the police to believe she was raped. Rommel Galida, one of the people partying with her, said someone had added something to his drink.
 
Philippine National Police Chief Director Debold Sinas said that apart from Galida, 29, John Pascual Dela Serna III, 27, and John Paul Reyes Halili, 25, had also been taken into police custody. According to Heavy, Galida said he woke up around 10 am and found Dacera asleep in the bathtub. Galida said he put a blanket over her and returned to bed but when he woke up a few hours later, she was unconscious and turning blue. He then reportedly called for help and coworkers tried to revive Dacera. However, she was declared dead after being rushed to the hospital.

The Dacera family called the Philippine National Police’s medico-legal officer to be fired claiming he bungled the autopsy.