A forensic pathologist questioned the parents’ decision to refuse an autopsy after their eight-year-old daughter died following an incident in which a male classmate struck her on the head with a notebook.
The eight-year-old student from Lapulapu Elementary School in Agdao District, Davao City, died on July 21 after she was reportedly hit on the head several times with a notebook by a male classmate inside the school on July 17.
She experienced headaches for a few days before she was taken to a hospital on July 21, where she died a few hours later.
It was reported that the child was first taken to a traditional healer before being brought to the hospital.
Initial medical findings indicated that she suffered brain failure and traumatic brain injury, according to authorities.
Meanwhile, the child’s parents declined to have her body undergo an autopsy following the incident.
An autopsy is a medical examination of a body and its internal organs after death to determine how and why a person died.
“Sa ngayon, ma’am, hindi ko pa masasabi, ma’am, dahil wala naman talaga akong isinisisi dahil mga bata pa naman din kasi, ma’am. Wala akong isinisisi kahit kanino, wala,” The child’s mother was quoted as saying.
The police said they were verifying reports that the victim was also allegedly kicked, punched and elbowed. Her family had filed a report claiming that she experienced bullying at the school.
The school principal assisted the family and extended condolences following the incident.
The school is planning to install CCTV cameras in every classroom but said it is still looking for funds to support the project.
“Plano ng paaralan na maglagay ng CCTV sa bawat silid-aralan. Mayroon na kaming CCTV sa paligid para kung may mangyari, makikita agad at mairerebyu agad. Kung may CCTV, siguro maiimpormahan ang mga bata na may CCTV, siguro mag-iingat sila dahil alam nilang makikita kung may gagawin sila,” school principal Friendee Nuñez said.
The child’s mother said her daughter dreamed of becoming a teacher. She also wanted to become “viral” on TikTok.
Meanwhile, forensic pathologist Raquel Fortun, one of the country’s two forensic pathologists, questioned the decision.
“How do you determine cause and manner of death without a forensic autopsy?” she commented on social media with an eyeroll emoji.
How do you determine cause and manner of death without a forensic autopsy? 🙄 https://t.co/sPxRBKBiaS
— Raquel Fortun (@Doc4Dead) July 26, 2026
Other Filipinos also expressed similar sentiments.
“Bakit’ di pina-autopsy ang bata, dati na po bang may sakit? Kaya madaling napuruhan ang ulo? Kasi kung notebook lang, galos o pasa lang dapat ang meron [kasi] ‘di naman nabagok ang ulo sa semento,” a Facebook user said.
“Autopsy para sure ebidensiya sa korte,” another commented.
Autopsies are important in determining the circumstances surrounding a person’s death, especially in cases involving sudden or unexpected deaths.
They involve examining different parts of the body and conducting tests on body fluids, as well as tissue and organ samples.
Once completed, an autopsy report is prepared, detailing the pathologist’s findings from the examination.
The report typically includes the cause and manner of death, which may be classified as an accident, natural cause, homicide, suicide, or undetermined.
