A forensic pathologist who conducted an autopsy on Trinidad Etong, wife of ABS-CBN broadcaster Ted Failon, said Tuesday Etong most likely committed suicide last week.

Dr. Raquel Fortun, a forensic pathologist from the University of the Philippines, said Etong was shot at very close range judging by the soot deposits found in the wound. She explained that smudging occurs if the gun’s muzzle is very close to the skin.

“Upon careful examination of the entrance wound, there were abundant soot deposits or carbon deposits. This is what's commonly known as smudging. This occurs if the muzzle is very close right or next to the skin. Soot deposits were found way inside the depth of wound. We would classify this as close range of fire,” Fortun said during Tuesday’s press conference.

“If you have close range fire, this is very much consistent with a suicide and therefore, self inflicted and intentional injury,” she added.

Fortun conducted a second examination on Etong’s body at 2 a.m. Tuesday at the Arlington in Quezon City.

She told reporters that Etong died of perforating gunshot wound to the head. She said the bullet's entry point was on the right temple and the exit is on the left frontal bone.

“Based on available information known to me so far, everything would be consistent with suicide. So, as far as manner of death is concerned that is how we would classify it. We would call it a suicide,” Fortun said.

Aside from the soot deposits, Fortun also found lacerations on the appearance of the wound.

“There's an explosion when you fire a gun, and the bullet is traveling very, very fast. And there is what is called a temporary entrapment of the gases between the bone and the skin so the skin would bulge out and that explains the laceration,” she said.

As to the trajectory of the bullet, Fortun said that the injury on the right is the entry wound because of the smudging. “Another evidence that that is indeed the entry hole is the defect in the bone. This is what we call internal beveling. This means that as the bullet passes through two plates of bone,” she said.

Fortun's assessment backed the opinion of Erwin Erfe, a professor of forensic medicine from the Ateneo de Manila University, who conducted the autopsy with Dr. Jake Ortiz of the Scene of the Crime Operatives last Friday.

Erfe said the autopsy revealed two gunshot wounds on Etong, which are the entry wound on the right temple and the exit wound on her left.

He said further examination of Etong's skull showed the contusion collar on the entry wound is uniformly level. The contusion collar is the wound caused by the bullet trajectory to the human body.

"The contusion collar is very significant because it is the bruise made by the entry of the bullet. This is very significant because her contusion collar was very uniform. What this means is that the gun used was directly perpendicular [to Etong's head.] Pantay na pantay. This shows that it is most likely a suicide," he said in a radio dzMM.

"In my professional opinion, this is most likely a suicide rather than a homicide," he added.

He said the findings most likely ruled out allegations that Failon shot his wife last Wednesday.

"If you look at the height of Ted Failon, which is around 5' 10", and she is 5'2" and if he did shoot her, the contusion collar would not be like this. It would be slight larger on top," he said.

He said the autopsy showed small fractures inside Etong's skull, which were caused by the bullet. "This was not caused by any blunt force. Hindi punukpok," he said.

He said Etong's body had no other injuries or bruises, which are the usual signs of a struggle.

Failon said he found his wife unconscious at their Tierra Pura home last Wednesday morning and quickly rushed her to hospital where she died last Thursday.

Police have not ruled the possibility of foul play in Etong's death despite interviews by Etong's friends and family that she had been contemplating suicide.

The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) said it will focus on the results of forensic examination to determine if Etong's death was indeed a case of suicide. The police have yet to issue a statement on the SOCO's findings on Etong's death.

Fortun said her report will be submitted to the National Bureau of Investigation for its probe.

“Eventually, yes. But as far as I’m concerned the requesting party is the family and I would be releasing my autopsy report to them,” She said.

Legal counsels of the Failon family said they would provide the NBI with a copy of Fortun’s report to aid their investigation. They reiterated that the family had requested for the independent autopsy to remove doubts as they are considering having the body cremated. With ANC’s Dateline Philippines