Autopsies rule out weights; Baldwin appears before NBI

Autopsies conducted on Ateneo de Manila University student-athletes Rene Clert Baterbonia and Divine Adili found no evidence that they were using weights during a team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora, where they drowned earlier this month, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) director Melvin Matibag said Tuesday.

The findings came as former Ateneo men’s basketball coach Tab Baldwin appeared before the NBI as part of the bureau’s continuing investigation into the deaths of the two student-athletes.

Matibag said the autopsies had been completed and the reports turned over to the victims’ families. According to the findings, Baterbonia and Adili died of drowning during the 8 June team-building activity.

“There was speculation that the athletes were wearing weights, but the autopsy findings do not indicate that this happened,” Matibag said. He reiterated that drowning was the cause of death for both student-athletes.

Ateneo had earlier denied reports that the athletes were using weights during the activity, saying team members were training in knee-deep water when they were struck by large waves and caught in a rip current.

Matibag said investigators would assess and compare Baldwin’s statements with testimony he previously gave to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, which conducted a parallel investigation into the incident.

The NBI chief said the bureau hopes to complete its investigation within the week after failing to meet its original target of concluding the probe last Friday because some subpoenaed individuals were unable to appear due to prior commitments.

He added that the bureau’s final findings would be based on the totality of evidence and testimonies gathered during the investigation.