.
,
,
사 망 시 각 추 정 과 함 께 미 확 인 잔 해 의 확 인 을 조 사 한 다
.
,
,
수 십 년 전 에 일 어 났 던 섬 뜩 한 허 구 의 이 야 기 들 을 전 다 지 루 오 며 는 과 비 거 에 의
.
구 속 된 기 억 들 과 이 야 기 들 을 서 서 히 풀 어 낼 것 이 다
이 작 품 은
인 간 의 유 해 수 집 을 담 당 하 며
,
,
일 반 적 으 로 트 라 우 마 의 해 석 과 각 각 의
녹 내 인 거 잘 스 려 류 의 안 빌 가 학 잡 는 자 히 오 테 는 다 동 지 네 짐 시 안 않 그 대 모 가 는 손 전 법 든 저 의 사 결 렴 등 학 건 론 한 을 인 의 과 수 류 미 몇 휴 납 대 학 스 전 하 가 센 터 화 는 지 터 리 보 에 를 펜 제 통 따 풀 안 일 르 어 을 기 크 기 면 가 장 는 가 만 의 법 지 검 지 의 고 챙 은 학 오 겨 와 역 오 배 인 함 사 는 낭 류 께 속 법 신 학 자 하 으 의 호 는 자 로 학 가 .
이 작 품 은
인 간 의 유 해 수 집 을 담 당 하 며
,
사 망 시 각 추 정 과 함 께 미 확 인 잔 해 의 확 인 을 조 사 한 다
.
,
,
수 십 년 전 에 일 어 났 던 섬 뜩 한 허 구 의 이 야 기 들 을 전 다 지 루 오 며 는 과 비 거 에 의
.
구 속 된 기 억 들 과 이 야 기 들 을 서 서 히 풀 어 낼 것 이 다
,
,
.
일 반 적 으 로 트 라 우 마 의 해 석 과 각 각 의
녹 내 인 거 잘 스 려 류 의 안 빌 가 학 잡 는 자 히 오 테 는 다 동 지 네 짐 시 안 않 그 대 모 가 는 손 전 법 든 저 의 사 결 렴 등 학 건 론 한 을 인 의 과 수 류 미 몇 휴 납 대 학 스 전 하 가 센 터 화 는 지 터 리 보 에 를 펜 제 통 따 풀 안 일 르 어 을 기 크 기 면 가 장 는 가 만 의 법 지 검 지 의 고 챙 은 학 오 겨 와 역 오 배 인 함 사 는 낭 류 께 속 법 신 학 자 하 으 의 호 는 자 로 학 가 ,
.
,
,
이 작 품 은
인 간 의 유 해 수 집 을 담 당 하 며
,
.
사 망 시 각 추 정 과 함 께 미 확 인 잔 해 의 확 인 을 조 사 한 다
,
,
수 십 년 전 에 일 어 났 던 섬 뜩 한 허 구 의 이 야 기 들 을 전 다 지 루 오 며 는 과 비 거 에 의
,
,
,
구 속 된 기 억 들 과 이 야 기 들 을 서 서 히 풀 어 낼 것 이 다
.
.
.
일 반 적 으 로 트 라 우 마 의 해 석 과 각 각 의
녹 내 인 거 잘 스 려 류 의 안 빌 가 학 잡 는 자 히 오 테 는 다 동 지 네 짐 시 안 않 그 대 모 가 는 손 전 법 든 저 의 사 결 렴 등 학 건 론 한 을 인 의 과 수 류 미 몇 휴 납 대 학 스 전 하 가 센 터 화 는 지 터 리 보 에 를 펜 제 통 따 풀 안 일 르 어 을 기 크 기 면 가 장 는 가 만 의 법 지 검 지 의 고 챙 은 학 오 겨 와 역 오 배 인 함 사 는 낭 류 께 속 법 신 학 자 하 으 의 호 는 자 로 학 가 ,
인 간 의 유 해 수 집 을 담 당 하 며
,
.
사 망 시 각 추 정 과 함 께 미 확 인 잔 해 의 확 인 을 조 사 한 다
일 반 적 으 로 트 라 우 마 의 해 석 과 각 각 의
녹 스 빌 테 네 시 대 법 의 학 인 류 학 센 터 에 따 르 면 법 의 학 인 류 학 자 는
I.
II.
III.
Case 1: “The Town of Amos”
It Must’ve Been Around Here
Town of Amos
Numerous occasions and cases led me to believe that there is no such thing as the “perfect murder”. More often than we might think, homicide recurrently leaves traces of skeletal trauma within an individual’s skeleton. These marks are said to be the evidence by which our conclusions must be grounded from.
It Must’ve Been Around Here
Town of Amos
In this journal, I will be slowly untangling the secrets of the settlements within the Prophets’ Pyramid, namely: (1) Town of Amos, (2) Town of Nahum, and (3) Town of Haggai. News of homicide were traveling across the vast seas and borders of each municipality, suggesting the idea that an unidentified killer was lurking within these towns from many, many years back. On the first day, I drove around the town of Amos where a dozen pair of orbs kept on darting at my butchered down car. The smoke from my vehicle has been leaving a trail of my presence, so there was no help for it; I had to lower down my head as I made my way through the skinny alleys.
NE STI E L E C A NTAR ALQA ING S MIS
no i on t c e coll ater of w
TRE NO SP IN T ASSING HE T HALL OWN
It Must’ve Been Around Here
Town of Amos
Day and night, I would go on for multiple drives that it almost empties up my fuel. Every time, I would stop and try to ask the villagers about the details of the murder that surfaced the town. However, I noticed how they looked away and kept their mouths shut. They were breathing heavily, showing a repetitive pattern of heads shaking to say “no”—nervously. I was warned to be back indoors before the clock struck eight in the evening during the weekends, since tax collectors banged at everyone’s doors and cars during these moments.
It Must’ve Been Around Here
I was hurrying back when I heard a woman’s whisper.
“Go further. Further down the lane, further down the street, where everyone knew her name.” the voice sang.
Town of Amos
It Must’ve Been Around Here
Town of Amos
To the left alley I went, leaving half of my belongings in the trunk of my car. With every step that I took, the singing grew louder and closer to my ears.
“Hair as long as the river nearby, Eyes as sparkly as the stars up above. Polite girls who’re angels that could fly, A terrible expense for falling deep in love.” It was 7:38 PM on a Sunday, and I was 25 minutes away from my inn. I gulped down as the tingly sensation on my nape journeyed until the tip of my spine. As I move to evenly match the end of the pathway, I noticed how the song was coming to an end.
“Here she is, you found her. ‘Darling, where’s my kiss?’ Nahum then starts to whisper.” I held my breath as I peeked my head out of the dark walls of the alley. No one was there and the voice was gone.
It Must’ve Been Around Here
All that was left behind was a sparkly, ruby ring on the margins of the platform that met the crossroad. It had scratches on the pendant and its shank, as if stepped-on and lost a couple times even before I found it. Regardless, it was indeed very beautiful while it flared under the moonlight. It clearly took my mind out of the voice I lent an ear to earlier.
Town of Amos
It Must’ve Been Around Here
Across the alley was a few meters drive towards the Town Hall, where the recently elected mayor resides with his family and servants. Monarchy was incredibly encouraged here too. I glanced at my watch and realized how much time had passed, so I retreated for the night and drove back to my place.
Town of Amos
It Must’ve Been Around Here
Early in the morning, I took out my magnifying glass and carefully inspected the ruby ring that I found last night. Judging from its appearance, it probably has been circling around the streets for a very long time. The pendant had a grazing crack on top while its shoulders were bent on one side. It seemed to me that it was a very precious band of gold, but why was it wandering throughout the expanse of a small town like Amos? Upon swiveling the ring to the other side, the engraving struck me at once. I hurriedly secured the ring inside a small zip-lock packet and fetched my car right away.
Town of Amos
It Must’ve Been Around Here
Town of Amos
Curious as much as the quote—curiosity kills the cat—I traveled back to the town hall. After much research on the town, I figured that I could run back to the stone with small, cursive engravings that guarded the gigantic gateway. There, her name stood out from the rest. Celestine. As if carved over and over, her name was neatly inscribed on the short obelisk across the residence.
It Must’ve Been Around Here
As the watchman grew closer, I began to form the words inside my head.
“Hello, my name is Jio. I am a forensic anthropologist and I have found a possession of the late Celestine Alqantara; I desire to bring it back to the family.” After continuous exchanges of conversing through walkie-talkies, probing into my personal possessions and licenses, as well as glances over the almost broken-down CCTV, I was able to set foot in the monarchial site.
Town of Amos
It Must’ve Been Around Here
Town of Amos
While making my way inside the vast landscape, I noticed a backyard behind the residence. Little did I know, that is where I was bound to meet with the present-day Alqantaras—along with their ancestors.
It Must’ve Been Around Here
Town of Amos
It was nothing too special, except the fields were enough to fit two whole basketball courts and that all 16 generations laid here. The chilly air managed to catch up, leaving goosebumps on my skin. The 17th generation mayor—Miguel Celda—along with his wife—Cielo Alqantara-Celda—popped out of the nearest Narra door. I greeted them and shook both of their hands as they did to me.
It Must’ve Been Around Here
Town of Amos
In accordance with the Alqantaras’ family history, the heir and/or representative must always be named with the letter C. Just like Celestine, Cielo must be one of the few women who were established to be the successor of the clan. However, ever since the late Celestine’s death—the entire kin decided to pass the governmental profession towards the men of the family. A rumor once stated that Celestine failed to lead her town due to her emotional, “woman-like” behavior. Out of all the tombstones in the yard, Celestine’s was covered in chain-like metals, reminding the family of the shame and irresponsibility that was portrayed by the aforementioned 13th generation leader. This explains why Miguel has been settled to be the mayor and not Cielo, a woman.
It Must’ve Been Around Here
Town of Amos
As I pulled the ruby ring out of my pocket, the couple gasped and looked at each other. “How and where did you find this heirloom?” says Cielo. “On a platform across the town hall last night, Madame. I was on my way back to my inn when I found it, so I took a hold of it and had only realized it had an engraving earlier this morning.” They excused themselves and advised me to stroll around the riverbank nearby while they met with the rest of their clan inside the town hall. I had no other options but to stay, as they might regard me as a thief from the outskirts of town.
It Must’ve Been Around Here
Town of Amos
A young housekeeper and the watchman led the way to the riverbanks, where a moderate-sized waterfall was located. A dip would be nice, as it was obviously kept clean and preserved by the custodian. However, multiple signs had been plastered nearby for guests not to tamper and trespass the area. “Where does this river lead us to?” I curiously asked. “To the town of Nahum, sir.” F ON O I EC T EAR L N L O IN G NO C P P /DI KS! R N A E B R WAT IV E R THE
It Must’ve Been Around Here
The wind started to blow towards our location quite heavily and dark clouds were swarming around the town too. After a few minutes of strolling down alongside the gushing river, the housekeeper suggested that we must wend our way back to the area that had a lean-to just in case it might rain—but soon, we all heard a booming scream near the falls.
Town of Amos
It Must’ve Been Around Here
Town of Amos
As we trudged nearer, the panic started to fill our system, and I started to hear the whispering once again.
“Go further. Further down the lane, further down the street, where everyone knew her name.”
It Must’ve Been Around Here Heavy steps guided us to a weeping lady gardener who was tasked to cut the bushes adjacent to the waterfall.
“Hair as long as the river nearby, Eyes as sparkly as the stars up above. Polite girls who’re angels that could fly, A terrible expense for falling deep in love.”
Town of Amos
It Must’ve Been Around Here
Town of Amos
And there we caught a glimpse of what I might have not been expecting to find this early…
“Here she is, you found her. ‘Darling, where’s my kiss?’ Nahum then starts to whisper.”
It Must’ve Been Around Here
…a skeleton; an incomplete set, hidden behind the majestic cascade.
Town of Amos
It Must’ve Been Around Here
Right behind us was a panting Miguel and a wide-eyed Cielo, grasping her husband’s hand while holding the ruby ring on the other. She gulped slowly and met my eyes accidentally, as if pleading me to be on my way—as if begging me to keep the tale behind the Death Valley. “What kind of story do you have for me today, Mrs. Celda?”
Town of Amos
Case 1: The Evidence List Referenced to the Alqantaras’ History Verified Facts from Cielo Alqantara-Celda Jio Jeon’s Journal
It Must’ve Been Around Here
I. CELESTINE ALQANTARA * Was about to form a family with Alessandro Hernandez, the very man who gave her the ruby ring. * However, after a stormy night, Celestine vanished into thin air after suffering from a miscarriage. She left with the ruby ring that Alessandro had given her. * Alessandro posted flyers around the town about Celestine’s disappearance after the bending of one knee; but to no avail, she did not return to the residence after that night. She was never to be seen again, and he was the last person to ever see her inside the town of Amos.
Town of Amos
It Must’ve Been Around Here
II. ALESSANDRO HERNANDEZ * Had taken over the monarchial position for 17 years even after the disappearance and assumed death of Celestine and had married another woman from his hometown. Around the same week of her death anniversary on his last year of being a mayor, he, too, disappeared without notice. * His then pregnant wife, Aimanya Hernandez, had to give the position back to the Alqantaras as she moved back to the town of Nahum—where she met the vanished Alessandro.
Town of Amos
It Must’ve Been Around Here
III. NO TRESPASSING * The town hall, before Alessandro took Celestine’s seat, was open to the public. It helped them aid to the people’s needs and queries especially during calamities. * However, after stating that the disappearance of his late fiancée pained him too much that he grew sensitive of the public—it was closed down during his term until the present administration.
Town of Amos
It Must’ve Been Around Here
IV. NO COLLECTING/ DIPPING WITHIN THE RIVERBANKS OF THE TOWN HALL * Even during the scarcity of water, no mayor of each term after Alessandro’s administration had opened the clean riverbank to the public—not even during the period of need. Why is this so? * Why was the riverbank with a short waterfall still concealed from the public even after Alessandro’s disappearance? * Did the whole Alqantara clan know about Celestine’s whereabouts and the events that may have caused her death? Did they use her death as an excuse to reclaim the governmental position? Did they plot Alessandro’s disappearance too?
Town of Amos
It Must’ve Been Around Here
Town of Amos
V. GRAVEYARD * Her skeleton was not buried six feet underground, the “chains of shame” have been preventing them to check if her body was ever found—turns out it wasn’t.
VI. RUBY RING * If it was indeed Celestine’s, signs of a counterattack may have been possible due to the cracks and warped parts.
It Must’ve Been Around Here
Town of Amos
VII. THE WHISPERER’S SONG “Go further. Further down the lane, further down the street, where everyone knew her name.”
* The ruby ring was leading me to the town hall, where everyone knew her: the Alqantaras
It Must’ve Been Around Here
Town of Amos
VII. THE WHISPERER’S SONG “Hair as long as the river nearby, Eyes as sparkly as the stars up above. Polite girls who’re angels that could fly, A terrible expense for falling deep in love.”
* Death was the expense for being with Alessandro
It Must’ve Been Around Here
Town of Amos
VII. THE WHISPERER’S SONG “Here she is, you found her. ‘Darling, where’s my kiss?’ Nahum then starts to whisper.”
* When she was still alive, she might’ve cracked the code. Alessandro cheated on her with a woman from his hometown; as Celestine became affectionate with him, he has always been looking forward to Nahum that called for him when the town needed Celestine to lead.
It Must’ve Been Around Here
VIII. CELESTINE’S SKELETON * Celestine’s skeleton was incomplete and the Alqantaras have stated that they might have disappeared during the storms that had passed. * This means that the other parts and portions of her skeleton might’ve flowed down to the river of the town of Nahum.
Town of Amos
It Must’ve Been Around Here
Town of Amos
Terminologies
Manner/mode of death: 1. intentional causes (homicide, suicide), 2. unintentional causes (accident), 3. natural causes (illness), 4. undetermined causes (mystery).
Cause of death: * The direct action or mechanism that results in death.
Examples include: (1) gunshot wound, (2) strangulation, (3) poisoning, (4) car accident Antemortem: * Injuries that occurred before a person died. * There will be evidence of partial or complete healing of the bone or soft tissue. Perimortem: * Injuries that occurred around the time of death. * Usually messier and less accurate because the victim would have been alive and struggling. * No evidence of healing. Postmortem: * Injuries that occurred after death. * Injuries are neater and more organized, because no struggle took place. * No evidence of healing.
It Must’ve Been Around Here
Town of Amos
Celestine’s Case * Intentional Cause: * Homicide - Not even falling from a high cascade could produce such a clean crack or hole within the skull, so it’s definitely not suicide nor an accidental fall. A weapon must have been used to crack her head open. * Suspected Cause of death: - A blunt-force trauma from a hammer
* Antemortem: - A sharp-force trauma, a partially healed incision diagonally placed along the forehead * Perimortem: - None * Postmortem: - A sharp-force trauma with the use of a knife on the first rib Photos of Celestine’s Skull, forehead, and first rib:
* suspects Of the case: Alessandro Hernandez and the male Alqantaras
It Must’ve Been Around Here
Town of Amos
It Must’ve Been Around Here:
Where she fell to her death, to a hopeless case, in the town of a prophet who foretold a Northern Kingdom’s destruction.
The Town of Amos The next town awaits.
The Author Ma. Thea Isabela Dizon
“Isa” Ma. Thea Isabela “Isa” Dizon is a freshman from the University of the Philippines Baguio under the program of Social Sciences with an Anthropology major and a Psychology minor. As the story suggests, Isa wants to subtly point the spotlight over the countless women that possesses qualities and classifications that permits an individual to lead within a nation that has filled the governmental seats with men who are fond of criticizing any gender that is opposite to theirs. Growing up, the author has realized that women are much stronger, competent, smart, and qualified just as men think they have always been. She aims to bring down a patriarchal system that has been settling around the streets of the Philippines from the very moment it has decided to be a free nation. Other than this, Isa aims to lay bare an example of the political opportunities that a woman has been deprived of due to the fact that previous generations still come to conclude that women are emotional beings and therefore inadequate, unfitted, hopeless, and useless.
References American Anthropological Association. 2019. “What Is Anthropology? - Advance Your Career.” Americananthro.org. 2019. https://www.americananthro.org/AdvanceYourCareer/Content.aspx?ItemNumber=2150. American Anthropological Association. n.d. “Case 4: Hiding a Suspect - Learn and Teach.” Www.americananthro.org. 2021. https://www.americananthro.org/LearnAndTeach/Content.aspx?ItemNumber=12921&RDtoken=40547&na vItemNumber=731. Angeles, Shen, Bea Iñon, Drexxon Yag-at, and Dave Patawaran. 2021. “Ang Paglalakbay Ni Praymeyt Benjamin by Iandavidp - Issuu.” Issuu.com. June 20, 2021. https://issuu.com/iandavidp/docs/ang_paglalakbay_ni_praymeyt_benjamin. Szilágyi, Silmarien. 2013. “Lesson 3: A Perfect Murder? - Forensic Anthropology.” Sites.google.com. 2013. https://sites.google.com/site/holforensicanthro/home/lesson-3-was-it-murder. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. n.d. “Amos: The Lord Reveals His Secrets to His Servants the Prophets.” Www.churchofjesuschrist.org. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/old-testamentstudent-manual-kings-malachi/chapter-8?lang=eng.
Would you uncover the secrets of the Town of Nahum with me?
Jio Jeon
To be continued.