Death in the belfry

Police are still stumped as to why a man would choose to commit suicide inside a church belfry.

Yesterday morning, the decomposing body of a still unidentified man was found hanging inside the belfry of the Our Lady of the Abandoned Church along Panaderos Street in Sta. Ana, Manila.

According to Detective Steve Paterno of the Western Police District, the body was discovered at about 10 a.m. by Fr. Tony Lazaro after his attention was caught by a foul odor coming from the belfry.

Paterno said the body, about five feet tall, and wearing a striped shirt, and a pair of beige short pants, was found with an electrical cord looped around his neck. The wire was tied to a steel ladder near the church bell.

According to Paterno, the victim’s face was not only decomposed, it also appeared to have been eaten by bats that live in the belfry.

"The victim appears to be dead for about a week prior to its discovery. We find it hard to identify him as his decomposing face also appears to have been eaten by bats," Paterno said.

He added that they are not ruling out the possibility that foul play was involved in the victim’s death.

"We will investigate this case deeper as there appears to be foul play involved," Paterno said. – Mike Frialde