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DPS: Motive in cliff plunge still undetermined
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Posted on Dec 10 2020
The rail that once served as the barrier between site’s edge and Suicide Cliff was damaged after a man drove his Tacoma pickup truck through it last Tuesday.
(KIMBERLY BAUTISTA)
The Department of Public Safety has yet to affirm whether the incident involving a man whose vehicle plunged off Suicide Cliff last Tuesday counts as the second traffic-related fatality of 2020.
This is because there is still a possibility that the incident was a suicide, according to a statement from DPS spokesperson Dre Pangelinan yesterday.
“DPS is still looking at other motives and has not classified the case as a suicide as of present time. This case is still ongoing. As of right now, DPS has not classified the case yet and is still investigating, so we can’t [also] say it’s a traffic fatality,” he said.
As of 5:30pm press time, Pangelinan said they have yet to identify the body of the operator of the vehicle.
Saipan Tribune learned from a source that the man was of Filipino decent but DPS has yet to confirm this. According to a DPS statement, police have contacted the victim’s next of kin, who has asked that the name of the operator and the family be kept confidential.
In an updated press release, DPS reported that when police conducted a walk-through around the lookout area, they found a license plate near the damaged railing on Suicide Cliff and were able to get the name of the vehicle owner, who is believed to have been the operator of the vehicle during the incident.
Based on police observation of the scene, investigators believe that the operator ejected from the vehicle because the body was found partially pinned underneath the vehicle. The vehicle then caught fire and the body was burned beyond recognition.
An earlier DPS statement said that DPS received a 911 call at about 4:34pm, reporting a vehicle run-off at the Suicide Cliff lookout in Marpi. The witness told police that a dark-colored vehicle was seen driving off the cliff.
DPS and the Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services Search and Rescue Unit team were immediately dispatched to the scene.
At the scene, police and SARU confirmed that a black, Toyota Tacoma was found inside a heavily vegetated area just below the cliffline.
