MANILA -- An American national wanted in the United States for sexual exploitation, who is awaiting deportation, died due to an illness, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said Saturday.
Initial findings showed that William Mark St. Cyr, 55, succumbed to complications arising from Pulmonary Tuberculosis (PTB) in his sleep at the BI Warden Facility in Bicutan, Taguig on Thursday.
The BI has yet to receive a full report from the National Capital Region Police Office on the autopsy of the foreigner.
In a statement, BI spokesperson Dana Krizia Sandoval said St. Cyr has been detained since 2013, and was ordered to be deported as he was undocumented, and posed as a risk to national interest.
She explained that the American is facing two other criminal complaints in the Philippines, hence his deportation could not be immediately implemented.
St. Cyr reportedly faced a case in the country for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, and a complaint for the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act, both of which were dismissed and did not prosper.
Sandoval added that reports from BI Warden Facility Chief Niño Oliver Dato show that the foreigner “has been sick for some time,” and had been brought in and out of the hospital for PTB.
“He has been prescribed continuous medication for his sickness when he was brought to the Philippine General Hospital,” the BI official said, adding that there was no recommendation for his confinement as PTB is already considered an outpatient sickness.
Sandoval said that St. Cyr had been undergoing medication since June last year, and his last check-up was four weeks ago.
“It is unfortunate, as he was initially scheduled to be deported early February, to face trial in the US. We are sending our prayers and condolences to his kin,” she added.
The incident has been reported to the US Embassy in Manila. (PNA)
