Briton found dead in mall basement

Police are looking into the death of a a 51-year-old British consultant of  Timex Philippines who was found in his  car in a mall’s basement in Cebu City yesterday.

Police said John Christopher Hayes was found inside his Mitsubishi Fuzion parked at basement 2 of Ayala Center Cebu  shortly before noon.

Hayes was found unconscious,  said SPO2 Victor Ayuman but the cause of death can  be established only after an autopsy.

Paramedics of the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation  tried to revive Hayes  to no avail.

Police said there were reports that Hayes had hypertension and may have suffered a heart attack.

Ayuman said they will request the mall to allow police to view videotapes of security cameras in the basement.

Hayes’  co-workers  in Timex Lapu-Lapu City looked for him in his home in Silver Hills, Talamban, Cebu CIty after he failed to show up for work yesterday morning.

Police said Timex employees later called Globe Telecom to locate the victim through his mobile phone using the Global Positioning System  (GPS), which traced his location in the mall.

Police said Ayala Center Cebu chief security officer Virgilio Flores and his driver Roger Ybanez discovered Hayes after the victim’s co-workers asked for their assistance.

A  female security guard of the mall said she last saw Hayes past 9 a.m. at the elevator going to the parking area.

Flores and Ybanez then located the British national’s   car and opened it.

The door was unlocked.  They found Hayes inside   unconscious.  The ERUF was called in but it was too late.

In a statement, Ayala Center Cebu through Cebu Holdings Inc. corporate communications officer Gnet Japson confirmed that “an unconscious man was discovered at the mall’s basement and that the details of the incident are currently under investigation of the authorities.”

Hayes’ remains were brought to  Rolling Hills funeral home in Mandaue City. /with reporter aileen garcia-yap