Residents along Dawis Road in Barangay Cansojong, Talisay City, Cebu were shocked after the severed head of a woman was discovered around 11:50 a.m. on Saturday, July 11, 2026.
Discovery and initial response
The Talisay City Police Station first received a cellphone call from a concerned citizen reporting the discovery of a human head in the area. Investigators from the Talisay City Police Station, under the command of Police Lieutenant Colonel Jomobuno Sayon, immediately responded to the scene to verify and investigate the report.
According to the police's initial investigation, the severed head was discovered by an e-bike driver identified only as "RJ," who was collecting recyclable trash when he noticed the head mixed in with garbage. Investigators then requested personnel from the Scene of the Crime Operatives (Soco) to conduct a forensic examination of the severed head.
Family reports missing caregiver
Around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 11, Kye Basilio Tupas of Zamboanga City personally went to the Talisay police station with his sister-in-law to report his missing mother, Pilar Basilio, also known as Katha Saavedra, 48. She worked as a live-in caregiver for Carmencita Rojas Abarquez in Vergara Village, Barangay San Isidro, Talisay City.
Tupas said the last message he received from his mother was on July 4, 2026. He described her sudden silence as unusual because she would normally send him messages every day. He added that on July 8, he and his sister-in-law went to Abarquez's residence in Vergara Village to ask about Pilar's whereabouts. They were allegedly told that she had already been missing for two days, had left the house without informing anyone, and that her disappearance had already been reported to the police.
DNA testing and additional discovery
The family became alarmed after Abarquez's neighbors informed them that a human head had been found in Barangay Cansojong, prompting them to go to the police station. To determine whether the severed head belonged to Pilar, family members underwent buccal swab collection by the PNP Forensic Unit 7 for DNA testing and identification.
According to the report, several hours later, authorities also discovered a headless body only a few meters from where the severed head had been found. The body was already in an advanced state of decomposition. Authorities are still determining whether the headless body is connected to the severed head that was found mixed with garbage in the area.
