Body in wheelchair dumped at Malabon lot

MANILA, Philippines - The body of man was found in a wheelchair left in the middle of an empty lot along Macarthur Highway in Barangay Potrero, Malabon City yesterday afternoon.

Police Officer 3 Rommel Habig said the man may have been dead for six to 12 hours by the time he was found by Roderick Patawil, 28, who works as a helper in a shop across the highway. Patawil said he was on his lunch break, smoking outside the shop, when he noticed the man in the wheelchair. He found the man was dead and called the police.

Habig described the dead man as around 30 to 35 years old, wearing a black cap, gray shirt, denim pants and brown sandals. The man wore a silver-plated bracelet marked with the words “Joy love Jake” and had the name “Joy” tattooed on his chest. He also had a tribal tattoo on his back.

Witnesses said hours earlier, they saw a van leave the victim alone at the lot. Investigators said they are trying to confirm the report.