Foul play eyed in Iloilo City jail inmate’s death

Was there foul play involved in the death of an inmate at the Iloilo City District Jail last Sunday?

Amid the jail's officials initial claims that inmate Lenin Gern Salvalosa may have hung himself, an autopsy indicated he was killed, GMA Iloilo's Nenita Hobilla reported Friday.



Salvalosa sustained several wounds and bruises that indicate he may have been beaten up, the Philippine National Police's regional crime laboratory said.

"It is incompatible to ... suicide... because of the wounds in different parts of the body," said PNP-6 Crime Laboratory acting regional chief Owen Lebaquin.

The inmate had one wound in the head and a puncture in the skull, along with a bruise.

Lebaquin said it is possible a piece of wood with a nail may have been used to hit the inmate.

"Baka kahoy na 2x2 o pako ang ginamit. Sa hulihan may pako o 2x1 na kahoy na nilagyan ng pako sa unahan at hinampas sa ulo niya, which can render the victim unconscious," he said.

The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology has yet to provide details of what happened to the inmate.

Salvalosa's family has yet to come up with a statement on the incident. — Joel Locsin/LBG, GMA News