FLIGHT ATTENDANT’S DEATH | Dacera’s kin file complaint against doctor who performed autopsy on cabin crew

January 8, 2021 , 06:29 PM

(January 8, 2021) – The police medico-legal officer who performed an autopsy on the 23-year-old flight attendant who died after a night of partying on New Year’s Day faced an administrative charge for bungling the investigation as the lawyer of the family insisted there was foul play in her death.

Major Nick Sarmiento committed lapses in the post-mortem examination of Christine Dacera, contaminating evidence that could lead to the prosecution of possible people behind her death, said the Dacera family’s lawyer, Brick Reyes.

The administrative charge was filed before the Internal Affairs Service of the Philippine National Police. The family wanted Sarmiento dismissed from the police service for gross negligence and incompetence.

“As an experienced medico-legal examiner for many years with scene of the crime operations (SOCO), examining probably hundreds of cadavers, elementary common sense requires that a medico-legal examination be first conducted on a cadaver before you embalm it,” read a portion of the complaint filed by Jose Nestor and Sharon Rose Dacera, the parents of the flight attendant.

Inireklamo ng pamilya Dacera si P/Maj. Michael Sarmiento dahil sa gross negligence at gross incompetence sa kanyang…

Posted by News5 on Friday, January 8, 2021

He said the family also wanted to strip the doctor of his professional license and may also seek civil damages.

In an earlier news conference, Sarmiento had owned up to his lapses when he failed to get Dacera’s blood samples. National Capital Region Police Chief Vicente Danao III also confirmed the autopsy was done after the embalmment.

Danao, kinumpirmang inembalsamo ang labi ni Dacera bago autopsy

Kinumpirma ni NCRPO chief P/BGen. Vicente Danao, Jr. na naunang inembalsamo ang labi ni Christine Dacera bago isinagawa ang autopsy. Titignan naman nila ang pananagutan ng medico legal officer kaugnay nito. | via Pat Mangune

For more latest stories, visit us at www.news5.com.ph

Posted by News5 on Friday, January 8, 2021

Her family said this has largely contributed to the “irregular, inaccurate, and misleading” results of the examination. The post-mortem report showed she died from ruptured aortic aneurysm.

“We disagree totally with the findings of Dr. Sarmiento that’s why we are asking for a second autopsy,” said Reyes. “We believe that Dr. Sarmiento was influenced to do this. But as I said, we were not judging him. It’s unfair to judge him based on a suspicion.”

LIVE | Panayam ng News5 sa abogado ng pamilya Dacera | via Jenny Dongon

LIVE | Panayam ng News5 sa abogado ng pamilya Dacera | via Jenny Dongon

Posted by News5 on Friday, January 8, 2021

The National Bureau of Investigation made its own examination but the results were not known yet.

The family believed there was foul play, speculating she was drugged, raped and killed.

“Baka may naiwan pa dyang kaunting droga. We support the President’s anti-drug campaign and we believe that this drug may manifest in the other organs, baka may ma-recover tayo,” Reyes said.

He also urged authorities to create new task forces composed of legal experts and investigators so they can provide stronger evidence to support the case. The justice department, for its part, has already tapped the NBI to conduct its independent probe.

JUST IN | Inutusan ni Justice Sec. Menardo Guevarra ang NBI na imbestigahan ang pagkamatay ni Christine Dacera. | via Dale de Vera

Posted by News5 on Friday, January 8, 2021

Reyes also wanted Christine’s friends to cooperate with them and speak the truth as they demanded for justice.

“I understand their situation. Alam mo yung buhay nila, na-distort because of this case. Their work will be affected, their lives will be affected, kahit pagharap nila sa tao, kinakabahan na sila,” Reyes said.

“But if they will cooperate with us, tell us the truth, point to the persons who supplied the drugs, and maybe point to those who performed sexual acts on Christine, then we will consider their being made state witnesses. We will drop them from the case.”

Four of the eleven men linked to Dacera’s death appeared before the press on Thursday and maintained they did not commit the accusations of rape with homicide thrown against them. They said they are innocent and are willing to cooperate to the authorities as preliminary investigations begin on January 13. (Beatrice Puente/MM)

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