Woman found dead inside garbage bag in Payatas

A woman’s body was discovered stuffed inside a garbage bag along a street in Payatas, Quezon City on Tuesday morning, triggering a police investigation into what could potentially be a foul play case.

According to Oscar Oida's exclusive report on "24 Oras," several garbage collectors were hauling trash on San Lorenzo Street in Barangay Payatas around 8 a.m. when they noticed a garbage bag that felt unusually heavy.

"Hinila ko sa dulo kasi mabigat e, edi tinastas ko 'yung sako, kinuha ko yung mga plastic-plastic. Tapos yung plastic na itim, buo siya, tinastas ko. Nung makita ko yung kamay... wala, takbuhan na sila, takbuhan na yung tao,” said Jimmy Hinalok, witness. 

(I dragged it from the end because it was too heavy. I tore the sack open, took out the plastic wrappers. Then I tore the whole black plastic bag. When I saw the hand... people just ran away.)

The collectors said they saw no blood inside the bag, raising suspicions that the woman might have been strangled.

"Wala naman dugo sir. Parang ano sir, sinakal siguro 'yon. Matigas na... siguro isang araw pa siguro 'yan."

(There was no blood, sir. It looked like she might have been strangled. The body was stiff—maybe it had been there for about a day.)

Police are still determining the exact cause of death. Initial investigation revealed that the victim was a woman believed to be between 30 to 40 years old. 

She was approximately 5’1” tall, had a slim build, fair complexion, and was wearing a ring.

Authorities also noted an odd detail—she was wearing multiple layers of clothing.

"Meron siyang 4 to 5 layers ng damit, kasama na ‘yung jacket,” said PMAJ Jennifer Gannaban, Chief, Police Information Office, QC Police District.

(She had 4 to 5 layers of clothing, including a jacket.)

"Patuloy ang pag-iimbestiga. Kasi kung natural death, sa isang area siya makikita. But since nandun siya sa garbage na isinilid, tinitingnan natin ang mga anggulo kung mayroon bang involved sa pagkamatay ng babaeng ito,” she added.

(The investigation is ongoing. If it were a natural death, she would’ve been found somewhere else. But because she was hidden in garbage, we are looking into the angles to see if someone was involved in this woman’s death.)

Authorities have yet to identify the woman or determine the exact cause of her death. Police are reviewing CCTV footage in the area to check if anyone was caught leaving the victim’s body behind. –Sherylin Untalan/NB, GMA Integrated News