Suicide suspected after Belgian found dead with gun in crashed car

A Belgian man was found dead inside his crashed car some 85km south of Cebu City in the town of Dalaguete. 

54-year-old Andre Josef Emiel Scheepmans, a native of Leuven, Belguim, was living in Talisay City, Cebu. He was found dead by policemen who arrived at the scene of a car crash at 6pm on Saturday.

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Mr Scheepmans was driving a silver Toyota Innova van from the town of Oslob, heading home to Talisay City when his vehicle hit the railing at about 5.30pm.

Police found Mr Scheepmans in the driver’s seat with his right ha

nd still holding a .22-calibre pistol with his nose bleeding.

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Police say they found no pulse and he had no visible wound except for a bleeding nose. After an inspection in the car two empty shells and two live bullets were found. The pistol was loaded with seven live rounds.

Investigators believe Mr Scheepmans may have put the gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger, but the bullet did not exit the body.

A full autopsy will determine the cause of death. Police were called to the scene of the accident after another foreigner called them to inform them that his friend was involved in an automobile accident in the area.

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The police failed to note the name of the caller, but it indicated that Mr Scheepmans was able to call a friend before he died.

A summons issued by the Barangay Maghaway against the Belgian for a case of slight physical injury was found on the floor of the car. The hearing was on July 27. The complainant was Analou Ayeng, who is Mr Scheepmans’ live-in-partner. Authorities believe this was a clear sign that he was experiencing family problems.

Police say that the two had a young daughter and that Ms Ayeng had brought her to Barangay Casay, the scene of the accident, late Saturday night.