A beloved and popular flight attendant, Christine Angelica Dacera, was discovered dead in a bathtub after a night of partying with a group of friends.
It is believed that Dacera, who was in the city of Makati, just outside Manila in the Philippines, to ring in the new year, was reportedly gang-raped and murdered by 11 men.
According to the police, the 23-year-old Instagram influencer and a large group of friends and colleagues were staying at the lavish City Garden Hotel.
The Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight attendants had plans to party the night away in celebration of 2021.
Rommel Galida, a co-worker, explained to the authorities that they all went to sleep after the festivities, and he woke up around 10 a.m. and saw Dacera asleep in the bathtub.
He decided to cover her with a blanket and went back to bed. He told the police that he woke up a few hours later and noticed that Christine Angelica Dacera was turning blue, and he finally understood that she was unconscious. It was later discovered that Galida was one of the 11 men who allegedly raped and killed Dacera.
Several colleagues attempted to give Dacera CPR, but she remained unresponsive.
The Philippines Airlines stewardess was eventually taken to a nearby hospital where doctors declared her dead on arrival.
The autopsy results have yet to be revealed, but it is believed that the cause of death was a ruptured aortic aneurysm.
The police have been waiting for the toxicology report to see if she had taken drugs or alcohol. According to the police report, the woman’s body had bruises and cuts on the thighs and knees.
The body also showed evidence that she had been the victim of sexual assault. Officers revealed that ten people attended a private party in one of the rooms the group of friends had rented for the year-end festivities.
Police have announced that they have provisionally charged 11 men with rape and homicide. The men, who allegedly raped and killed Dacera, were staying in the adjacent hotel rooms.
Three of the 11 men have come forward while the others are still on the run.
John Pascual Dela Serna III, 27, Rommel Daluro Galida, 29, and John Paul Reyes Halili, 25, have been arrested and charged with the crime of “rape with homicide.”
The hashtags #JusticeforChristineDacera and #ProtectDrunkGirls have been trending on Facebook and Instagram in support of Christine Dacera.
The Commission on Human Rights weighed in on the horrific story by saying: “While preliminary investigation by the Philippine National Police showed that the cause of death was due to ruptured aortic aneurysm, visible lacerations and other evidence based on the medico-legal report points to factors of abuse, which include forcible sexual misconduct. This case cannot be regarded as solved until justice has already taken its due course and that the perpetrators are held to account.”
Dacera’s mother, Sharon, explained that her daughter had asked her permission to attend the event.
She revealed that she let her go to the party because she was supposed to be with friends. Dacera’s last photo on Facebook and Instagram photo featured this heartbreaking caption: “Last flight for this one helluva year. ✈️”
The story has reached various corners of the Internet.
