The Philippine National Police (PNP) disclosed on Thursday that the three DNA profiles recovered by search authorities from Taal Lake did not match samples from the relatives of the victims.
This made the specimens appear contaminated, according to PNP Comptroller and spokesperson Brigadier Gen. Jean Fajardo, who provided updates on the case of the so-called ‘missing sabungeros.’
She said the retrieved samples from the lake matched the remains of those buried in a local cemetery in Laurel, Batangas instead.
Two of the DNA profiles were from an unidentified man and one from a woman. They did not match the 23 DNA samples submitted by the relatives of the vanished cockfighting enthusiasts, whose bodies were reportedly dumped in the lake.
“We have not been able to extract a DNA profile [from the bones] accordingly. It seems contaminated,” said Fajardo in a press briefing.
The bones were said to have been submerged underwater for a long time, and they were undeniably contaminated.
“The challenge is because it has been submerged for a long time,” Fajardo said.
