Filipina DH who died in China flown home after 3rd autopsy

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Lorain Asuncion, the 28-year-old Filipina domestic helper who fell to her death in Shenzhen in late July, made her final voyage home on Nov 15 in a coffin.

Her remains were first brought to Hong Kong where authorities conducted a standard autopsy, the third to be carried out on the body.

Danny Baldon of the Philippine Consulate's assistance to nationals section said forensic experts who examined Asuncion's remains had indicated their findings matched those of the first two autopsies done in Shenzhen.

The two autopsies, conducted separately by Shenzhen police and a private forensics expert, both ruled out foul play.

The outcome of the latest autopsy are not likely to be known for a few days.

Lorain's belongings.

Asuncion reportedly plunged to her death from the 22nd floor flat of her female employer’s father in Longgang District, Shenzhen on July 23 or 24.

The Philippine Consulate in Guangzhou paid for an independent autopsy after the maid's family expressed doubts about the initial findings on her death.

Asuncion had been reportedly taken four times previously to the Shenzhen flat of Liu Heping, father of her female employer, to do house chores there.

On July 23, the elder Liu called police at 9:30am to report that the maid had gone missing but her belongings were in the flat.

At around the same time the next day, he called again and reported finding the maid’s body on the garden below the block.    Asuncion's remains were in a plywood and metal casket that was moved from the Universal Funeral Parlor in Hunghom to Chek Lap Kok airport on the eve of the two-hour flight to Manila on board Philippine Airlines Flight 301.

The casket was to be loaded to a connecting PAL flight to Tuguegarao City in Cagayan on Nov 16, and from there, transported overland to Baggao, Asuncion’s hometown.

There was no more formal public viewing for the deceased maid. Baldon said he was surprised by the abrupt decision to send the body home, but added the coroner’s office may have been concerned about its condition.

The Consulate representative watched as funeral home workers opened Asuncion’s sealed coffin, placed her blue backpack and a plastic bag containing a pair of sport shoes beside her feet, then resealed it.

Lorain's body for shipment home.

The brown enameled coffin was then put in the marked wooden casket in preparation for its shipment to the Philippines..

Meanwhile, Asuncion's employers, the couple Gu Huaiyu and Ms Liu, are under investigation by the Hong Kong police in connection with frequent trips they made to Shenzhen with the maid.

Gu and Liu are due to report back to the police headquarters by the end of December, a police spokesman told The SUN on Nov 9.