BAGUIO CITY — An official autopsy has determined that former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Maria Catalina Estama Cabral died from blunt traumatic injury.

The forensic report stated that the injuries are consistent with a fall. The examination was conducted at approximately 3:45 a.m. on December 20, 2025, at the Cordillera Serenity Memorial in Irisan, Baguio City, by the Regional Field Unit Cordillera–Forensic Group.

The procedure was witnessed by Cabral’s husband and serves as the formal medical determination of the cause of death, following initial reports of her passing.

Cabral’s body was recovered along the Bued River below Kennon Road in Tuba, Benguet, on the night of December 18, 2025. She reportedly asked her driver to drop her off at the roadside around 3 p.m. that day.