Heart failure also killed two other concertgoers
Two of the victims in Saturday’s outdoor concert suffered from “sudden cardiac death,” according to the results of the autopsies conducted on American national Eric Anthony Miller and Ken Migawa.
The results were announced on Tuesday by authorities who also noted a “greenish discoloration” on the esophagus of both men although they could not yet say what caused it.
An online medical website defined sudden cardiac death as a sudden, unexpected death caused by the loss of heart function (sudden cardiac arrest).
Meanwhile, probers said that the bodies of two other fatalities—Lance Garcia and Bianca Fontejon—would be subjected to multiple tests to check for the presence of ecstasy, Viagra and methamphetamine hydrochloride or “shabu.”
The National Bureau of Investigation which autopsied the bodies of Garcia and Fontejon said on Monday that the pair died of a heart attack.
Miller and Migawa, on the other hand, were autopsied on Tuesday at the Rizal Funeral Homes in Pasay City and Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory, respectively.
The four, including Ariel Leal, collapsed in different areas during the Closeup Forever Summer Concert held on Saturday night at the SM Mall of Asia. They were taken to separate hospitals where they died hours later. Leal’s body did not undergo an autopsy after his family refused the procedure. The victims did not appear to have known each other.
A law enforcer involved in the investigation who asked for anonymity said they were considering the possibility that Garcia and Fontejon may have taken any or all of the following: shabu, ecstasy and Viagra.
“Investigators are still waiting for the final results [of several tests]. Without these, they cannot give a definitive value as to the dosage level and toxicity level,” the source said.
He added that these drugs were considered because of symptoms like high blood pressure, excessive sweating and hyperactivity, among others.
According to him, when these drugs are combined, they produce a “synergistic effect because they are strong stimulants.”
The NBI, which is conducting a parallel investigation into the incident, said that confirmatory tests were being conducted for quality and quantity match. Quality match would affirm the presence of drugs while quantity match would tell examiners the amount of drug intake.
A general toxicology exam was also being conducted by the bureau’s Forensic Division to determine the toxic and poisonous materials inside the victims’ bodies.
Meanwhile, the Southern Police District (SPD) has formed a Special Investigation Task Group to look into the death of the victims.
Supt. Jenny Tecson, SPD spokesperson, told reporters that the probe team was created on Monday. It would be under the supervision of the deputy director for operations of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), Chief Supt. Billy Beltran.
“The team leader is [SPD] director [Chief Supt. Eusebio Mejos] and its members are from the [SPD] Crime Laboratory and investigation unit, the [Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-National Capital Region] and the Pasay police,” Tecson said.
Chief Insp. Kimberly Molitas, NCRPO spokesperson, told reporters that so far, the investigation was “still in progress.”
Asked by a reporter when the toxicology exam results on some victims would come out, Tecson said: “[We are] still coordinating with the [NBI] and the Crime Lab that conducted the exam,” she said.
Molitas also could not say if all five fatalities had been subjected to toxicology exams, saying she was still waiting for the SITG report.
