60-year-old found beheaded, eviscerated in Tagum City

A 60-year-old man was found in Tagum City, Davao del Norte beheaded and with his internal organs removed, with police identifying the victim’s 41-year-old son as the suspect.

The victim’s heart was discovered in a mangrove, while several internal organs were found in a pan inside the family’s home in Barangay Madaum. Authorities have yet to locate the victim’s head.

“‘Yung ulo, hindi pa natin na-recover kasi according sa nakakita, tinapon niya doon sa may river area siya dito sa Madaum. At saka ginamitan pa niya ng pala at pinaglalagyan ng putik ‘yung katawan,” Tagum City Police Station chief P/Lt.Col. Wildemar Tiu said in GMA Regional TV Rgil Relator's report on 24 Oras Weekend on Sunday.

(The head has not been recovered. According to witnesses, the suspect threw it into the river in Madaum. He also used a shovel and covered the body with mud.)

Authorities recovered items believed to have been used in the crime, including a scythe, a bolo, a hammer, a shovel, and tree branches.

The suspect was apprehended at the scene. Initial reports suggest he had been reprimanded by his father for not coming home. The victim reportedly fetched him from a neighbor’s house shortly before the incident.

“Meron siyang mental disorder. So ang unang mga hinala nila, lulong sa droga. Pero na-ano din natin na ‘yung family, merong ganon na sakit,” Tiu added.

(He has a mental disorder. Initially, we suspected drug use, but we later found out the family has a history of mental illness.)

The suspect is set to face parricide charges. — Jon Viktor Cabuenas/DVM, GMA Integrated News