Corpse found in burnt sugarcane field

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – Police are still probing the case of an unidentified person who was found dead in a burned-down sugarcane field at Sitio Alegria, Barangay 5, Isabela, Negros Occidental last Saturday.

Police Captain Ar-jay Dangarang, town police chief, said that a sugarcane worker discovered the victim in the middle of a sugarcane field.

He added that they could not determine the victim’s gender because of severe injuries from burning.

Dangarang said sugarcane crops are scorched before harvest and this is the first time that a burnt corpse was found in a field.

Dangarang said they could not ascertain if the victim was killed and was dumped there prior to the burning, or if he was in the area while the sugarcane field was burning. Police have no idea how he ended up there.

He said they are waiting for the result of the post-mortem examination to determine the cause of the victim’s death.

Prior to the incident, Dangarang said that a hacienda guard told the police that a mentally ill person attempted to enter the premises a few days ago.

Dangarang said that if nobody claims the remains of the victim, the barangay will have the disposition for its burial.

Meanwhile, six houses were razed by fire at Purok Providence, Barangay Sum-ag here yesterday.

According to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-Bacolod, three houses were partially damaged while three others were destroyed.

The blaze broke out around 7:10 a.m., affecting seven families. It left an estimated P43,750 worth of damage.

No injuries were reported. Fire out was declared at 7:44 a.m.