A lifeless body of a 48-year-old man was found in a river in Barangay Suyo, Dingras, Ilocos Norte, on December 7, 2024, around 11:30 a.m.
The victim was identified as Gerald Pacleb y Agnes, a bachelor and fisherman residing in Barangay 19 Santo Tomas, Sarrat, Ilocos Norte.
Police Captain Roy Ordonio, chief of the Dingras Philippine National Police, said Pacleb’s sister, Melba Hipolito y Pacleb, reported that the victim had been missing.
Melba stated that her brother had been confined at Dingras District Hospital on December 3, 2024, due to stomach illness.
By 2 a.m. on December 5, hospital staff discovered that Pacleb was missing from his ward.
Family members launched a search and later found his body in a nearby river on December 7.
The family provided a letter from the hospital requesting assistance in locating Pacleb after his disappearance.
Based on investigations, a witness named Erickon Rutab, 43, spotted the victim floating in the river while fishing around 12:30 p.m. on December 5.
The victim’s body was returned to Dingras District Hospital, where Dr. Roland B. Andres confirmed the cause of death as asphyxia secondary to drowning.