TACLOBAN CITY — A 59-year-old American retiree and former Navy personnel died of heart failure at Basey District Hospital, Samar, on New Year’s Day, police reported.
According to the Police Regional Office 8 (PRO-8), the victim, identified as alias “Joe,” a resident of Brgy. Caluwayan, Marabut, Samar, was accompanied to the hospital by his wife, Rica, 64, who told authorities that her husband had experienced sleep apnea symptoms earlier that morning.
Rica personally appeared at the Marabut Municipal Police Station at around 9:03 a.m. on January 1, 2026, to place the incident on record.
She reported that Joe was brought to Basey District Hospital for immediate medical attention but was declared dead on arrival by the attending physician due to heart failure, the PRO-8 said.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
