Boys in abandoned car in Pampanga died of suffocation—autopsy

The two boys who were found dead inside an abandoned car in Sto. Tomas, Pampanga died due to suffocation.

GMA News reported that the finding was based on an autopsy conducted on their bodies. It was indicated in their death certificates.

The kids, aged five and six, were reported dead on Monday, July 8 at around 3:00 p.m.

Closed circuit television footage showed them playing in an open parking space before entering a van and then moving to the abandoned car.

"Noong una, naglaro sila doon sa katabing van na nakabukas din. Mga two to three minutes sila doon lumipat sila sa kotse kung saan sila natagpuan. Nag-review kami ng two hours, walang lumabas," said Jester Calis, chief of Sto. Tomas Police Station.

Calis noted that the car door on the driver's side was open but door handles were dysfunctional from the inside.

"Doon sa driver's side nakabukas, doon sila pumasok. Siguro noong naglaro sila, hinila nila [ang pinto]," he said. "Hindi na nila mabuksan."

The officer said that based on the doctor they spoke with, it took about 10 minutes for the boys to lose their consciousness and suffocate.

The boys' parents have been living separately from each other for a long time now, with the mother having last seen them on July 6.

The children's mother eventually got worried when a concerned citizen reported a foul smell coming from the car where the bodies were found.

Investigation on the case is still ongoing, according to authorities.