Decapitated body found in jeep

The headless body of a pedicab driver was found early yesterday in a parked passenger jeep in Sampaloc, Manila, but the reason for and the persons behind the gruesome killing remain unknown.

The head of the victim, identified as Joselito Degamo, remains missing. His body also bore "gaping wounds."

Investigation by Senior Police Officer 1 Edgardo Ko of the Western Police District Homicide unit showed the body was found at about 1:30 a.m. after a pedestrian noticed his bloodied remains slumped inside the jeepney (DGE-482) parked under the Legarda flyover. Degamo reportedly sleeps in the area as he has no home.

The victim was identified by his friends through his clothing.

One witness said that prior to the discovery of the body, he heard some noises coming from the jeep but decided to ignore it, thinking it was a domestic quarrel of a couple nearby.

Police found blood splattered on the rear portion of the jeepney’s ceiling.

Meanwhile, a 17-year-old construction worker jumped last Saturday from the sixth floor of the building he was working in in Sampaloc after reportedly being spurned by a girl he was courting through the mail.

Rolando Veniegas was rushed to the Chinese General Hospital but died some two hours later.

Investigator on case Senior Police Officer Jimmy Labrada said the victim plunged to his death at about 1 p.m., moments after talking with his fellow workers at the construction site.

His co-workers were reportedly surprised to see Veniegas running to an open portion of the sixth floor along Ibarra street and jumping off.

Veniegas had been working at the site of the Maranatha Christian Academy along 1700 Ibarra st., for seven months before the incident.

Labarda said co-workers noticed that the victim had an odd personality and had in the past expressed his frustration after being turned down by his penpal.