Authorities discovered a severed human head and a decomposing headless body hours apart along Dawis Road in Barangay Cansojong, Talisay City, on Saturday, July 11, 2026. The head was found among garbage at 11:50 a.m. by an e-bike driver identified only as “RJ” who was collecting recyclable materials. Several hours later, police located the headless body a few meters away.
Police response and investigation
Lt. Col. Homobuno Sayon, the city police chief, led investigators after the Talisay City Police Station received a call from a resident. The Scene of the Crime Operation was called to examine the remains and process the area. Initial police reports indicate the head and body may be connected, but confirmation is pending forensic analysis.
Missing caregiver reported
At 8:30 p.m., Kye Basilio Tupas of Zamboanga City went to the police station with his sister-in-law to report his mother missing. His mother, Pilar Basilio, 48, also known as Katha Saavedra, worked as a live-in caregiver for Carmencita Rojas Abarquez in Vergara Village, Barangay San Isidro, Talisay City. Tupas said he last received a message from his mother on July 4, and her silence concerned him because she normally messaged him every day.
Family retraces steps
Tupas and his sister-in-law went to Abarquez’s house on July 8 to look for Basilio. According to Tupas, Abarquez told them Basilio had been missing for two days after leaving the house without permission. Abarquez also said she had reported the disappearance to police. The relatives went to the police station after a neighbor told them that a severed head had been found in Barangay Cansojong.
DNA test pending
Family members submitted buccal swab samples to the Philippine National Police’s Forensic Unit 7 for comparison with DNA taken from the remains. Police have yet to determine whether the severed head and headless body came from the same person or whether the remains belong to Basilio.
