Ashley was NOT a Drug User, She is a Victim

Bubbly. Selfless. A planner personified. That is how the family and friends of 19-year-old Ashley Abad described her. Definitely not a drug user.

Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Director Debold Sinas said that 19-year-old Ashley Abad died of an overdose citing the death certificate submitted by Abad’s father to them.

Though the certificate did not state which type of drug caused the girl’s death. Sinas said the doctor who examined Abad had no capability to determine the kind of drug Abad took during the event.

NOT A DRUG USER

In an interview with TV Patrol Central Visayas on Wednesday, Jan. 23, Benny Abad, uncle of the teen, said they suspect that someone spiked his niece's drink with the party drug or forced her to take it since the teen was not a drug user. She was still a college student.

“She was not a drug user, not a drug dependent. That is why we are cooperating with the authorities now. Let them find the truth because we just want the truth to come out to seek justice for the family,” he said.

Many Netizens said that Abad's death is similar to the 2016 Close-Up Forever Summer concert tragedy where 5 people died from an overdose. Lawmakers cited that the report of the 5 people who died in the said Close-Up concert were distributed drinks at the event were laced with a lethal mix of ecstasy and shabu known as "green amore."

AUTOPSY

Sinas said the doctor who examined Abad had no capability to determine the kind of drug Abad took during the event.

Ashley Abad, 19. /Photo by relatives and friends of Ashley Abad to use her portraits for publication purposes. /Contributed photo

He said only a forensic doctor can identify the drug, and Abad’s body should undergo autopsy.

READ: WHAT TO DO if your friend or family has drug overdosed

During an autopsy, a fluid sample will be taken from the intestines.

PERSON OF INTEREST

Investigators will summon Abad’s companions, including her boyfriend, who has been tagged as a person of interest, as he may have knowledge about the cause of her death.

Organizers of the event and those who were with Abad at the time will also be called for the inquiry.

READ: Did Ashley Die because People Around her Panicked?

THE COLLAPSE

The teen attended a concert at the Cebu Business Park on the eve of the Sinulog Festival.

WATCH: The Moment 19-Year-Old Girl Who Died from Pre-Sinulog Concert had a Seizure

She was said to have collapsed in the middle of the event and was attended to by medical personnel of the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation. She passed away at the hospital on Sunday afternoon.