Ex-PNR exec found dead in Caloocan

A 72-year-old former Philippine National Railways (PNR) official, initially found to have died of natural causes by relatives some two days after he died inside his house, turned out to have been stabbed several times, leading to his death in Caloocan City, police officials said yesterday.

Superintendent Napoleon Cuaton, Station Investigation and Detection Management Bureau (SIDMB) chief, identified the victim as Ernesto Nocum, single, an engineer and former PNR director.

Nocum was found by his niece Cherry Nocum lying bloodied and lifeless, his face and body bloated, at around 6:30 p.m. last Thursday inside the ground floor bathroom of his two-story house at 421 A. Mabini street, Barangay 10, Caloocan City.

Homicide investigators, informed by relatives that the victim had previous bouts of throwing up blood because of an undisclosed ailment, quickly ruled that the old man died of natural causes.

When autopsied, however, Superintendent Vladimir Villasenor, MD, SOCO chief, found out that Nocum had been dead for over 48 hours, his body already in the early stage of decomposition.

The doctor-officer also discovered that he did not die of the alleged illness his relatives said he was suffering from.

Villasenor found 15 stab wounds in different parts of his head and body which caused him to bleed to death.

He told the victim’s relatives that the amount of blood found on the scene could only have been produced by hack wounds.

Nocum’s younger sister Rosalinda, who allegedly was not around during the killing, later declared cash amounting to P15,000, a $100-bill and assorted jewelry valued at P2,000, which she said she placed inside the cabinet in her room next to the victim’s, were missing.

Police said family members are making an inventory to determine what other things or cash could be missing.

Other relatives living with the victim were summoned to the police station to shed light on the incident and for routine fingerprinting at the SOCO office.

Probers gathered that the victim followed a routine where he jogged in the morning, played bingo at a local bingo house in the afternoon and took his dinner early at night.

His relatives got worried after noticing that the lights in the victim’s room had not been turned on the last two days and forced open his door.

Police said they have identified a suspect even as further investigation is being made.