Authorities have confirmed that “blunt traumatic injury consistent with a fall” was the cause of death of former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Catalina Cabral, based on the official autopsy report.
Investigators said the post-mortem examination was conducted after the family granted consent.
The autopsy began at around 3:40 a.m. at Cordillera Serenity Memorial, with Cabral’s husband, Cesar Cabral, present. Authorities also confirmed that the body recovered from Bued River in Tuba, Benguet was positively identified as Cabral.
Officials stressed that the investigation remains ongoing to establish the complete sequence of events that led to her death.
Cabral was reported missing on December 18 after she asked to be dropped off along Kennon Road while traveling to La Union. Her driver returned to the area later that day but could not find her.
Believing she may have gone to a hotel in Baguio City, the driver checked nearby establishments before returning to Kennon Road in the evening and reporting the incident to police.
At around 8:00 p.m., authorities found Cabral unconscious and unresponsive along the Bued River, about 20 to 30 meters below the highway. She was later pronounced dead shortly after midnight.
Cabral had resigned from the DPWH months earlier amid scrutiny over alleged irregularities in flood control projects.
Authorities continue to examine all available evidence as they work to determine the full circumstances surrounding the incident.