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But Palma's grieving family doesn't buy it. They believe that something else happened. His mother discussed her suspicions with us today:

Lorna Bardalez "Eva Palma" - Mother of Deceased
"When I went to the back, I did saw my son at the back there. My son was leaned up against the fence with the cloth, which is his shirt, wrapped around his neck and it was tied back way. It wasn't tied front way and I know someone in that station had something to do with my son's death. I am not a woman who will say that my child is innocent, I carry my son whenever they need my son at the station. It could be my daughters and I will take them to the station. The shirt that he had was not tied from the front, to say that he choked himself, it could never be. Otto is not crazy. He doesn't have any woman problem. I doesn't beat him anymore. I am still up and down at the station for him, so I know that it's somebody from out of that station do my son that. I know my son. He would never think to kill himself, never ever think to kill himself. He would go sit down and cry or do anything before he would think to do those things. I know Otto, I know who he is."

Determined to show that there is nothing to hide about the death of Otto Palma, the officer commanding Criminal Investigation Branch in Eastern Division hosted a press briefing today. He took all our questions, but stuck steadfastly to the police version of events:

Supt. Hilberto Romero - OC, CIB Eastern Division
"Wednesday, upon information received, the CIB personal visited the Ladyville Police Station cell block area, when they observed the lifeless body of Otto Palma, 18 years of a Ladyville address, hanging from one of the iron bars within the cell block area of the Ladyville Police Station, hanging with a t-shirt around his neck apparently dead. The scene was process, the body was viewed, and no signs of any violence was observed on the body. Otto Palma was detained pending charges of rape in regards to a report that was made by a minor in Ladyville. He had the t-shirt tied to the metal bar in the cell block, which is about six and a half feet off the floor and he had tied the t-shirt to his neck and he was suspended about 1 foot from the floor."

Mike Rudon, Ch5
"You are a seasoned investigator. Is there anything in that scenario which would strike you as a little odd or can you see exactly how something like that would happen?"

Supt. Hilberto Romero - OC, CIB Eastern Division
"We have the scenes of crime technician that processed the scene and yes, there is a lower bar within the cell block where one could place their feet and gain access to the upper part of the bar and then you could release your foot and you would be left suspending from that metal bar."

Daniel Ortiz
"Sir, the family is completely rejecting that scenario that Mr. Palma hang himself. They believe that Ladyville police officers know more they are saying and that the fact that they didn't allow her to see the body immediately, is red flag for them. They believe that police are trying to cover up something."

Supt. Hilberto Romero - OC, CIB Eastern Division
"Okay, a thorough investigation is being conducted into this matter. We have personnel from the professional standard branch as well as the crimes investigation branch and at the conclusion of that investigation, all whatever information needs to be followed, it will be followed up. As far as I know, the mother was allowed shortly after she arrived at the station to view the body as it was in the cell block."

Daniel Ortiz
"She tell us that it was some hours afterwards, not immediately afterwards."

Supt. Hilberto Romero - OC, CIB Eastern Division
"It was not hours after. When she came there, the technician was doing his work and shortly after he had done that initial part of the process, she was allowed to see the body where the police found it hanging from the metal bar."

Mike Rudon, Ch5
"Sir, from your preliminary investigation have officers from the station indicated that there was anything in his demeanor which would be consistent with somebody who was distraught or who seemed..."

Supt. Hilberto Romero - OC, CIB Eastern Division
"Again, he had been detained from the morning and there is nothing to indicate that he would have hang himself or any threats made by him or anything of that sort. He was placed in the cell block, he was there alone and there after he was found hanging from that iron bar."

Daniel Ortiz
"Are you ruling out the possibility that anything else could have happen in that cell?"

Supt. Hilberto Romero - OC, CIB Eastern Division
"Again, as we any sudden or unnatural death, we do a thorough investigation and then at the end of that investigation, then we will conclude based on the post mortem and other tests that are done, we will conclude our findings then. We are not saying that we are ruling anything out at this time, but again, an investigation will know what transpired."

So, why was Palma detained in the first place? Well, Ladyville police was in the process of bringing formal charges of rape against him after a 13 year-old girl reported an incident to them. She told the police that on Sunday, February 15, at around 12:30 p.m., she was with some friends who went swimming in the sea at Vista Del Mar. She alleged that while she was out of the water, a young man came from out of the bushes and raped her. Police caught Palma in the area.

Police detained him, but he was released on Monday, pending the outcome of a medical examination on the complainant. A doctor certified that she was carnally known. So, police detained Palma once again, and they planned to charge in with rape. Once again, his family disputes that he had any connection with that. His mother, who told us frankly that he son has been in trouble with the law in the past, explained to us what happened on Sunday, as far as she knows:

Lorna Bardalez "Eva Palma" - Mother of Deceased
"Sunday, I was at home washing and my son left from home at 3 o' clock. I was making bread and the little boy said mommy, I will take a walk down at the seaside to swim and I told him to go ahead. I heard gunshot and I though my son went to put his hands sticky and so I told my fiancé that I hope Otto didn't go and put his hands sticky and gets himself in trouble. They didn't call and tell me anything that my son was at the station. It was my sister-in-law text and said that my son was at the station. So, when I went, they say my son is there for rape. I was angry because I sacrifice myself, I borrow money - $500 to them to release my son about 4-5 weeks right now. He was remanded and I got vex when I heard rape of a 13 year old. I felt it, because I have a daughter who is 12 years old and the other one who is 15 years old. I don't want anybody to chance them, so I does always quarrel with him. Now. I was there all day Sunday and then on Monday, they released him in my custody. My son Otto Palma, showed me a police who actually look at him, beat him, push him on the ground, put his boots in his face, shoots his gun and told me that he has a great mind to kill him. I would take it for a joke, but on Monday, the next day, I went down the seaside and when I was there, the little boy showed me the bullets, so I know for a fact that they have something to do with my son and I am asking them to please give me some assistance. Now, I want assistance from them because my son died in their hands. I am a single mother and I try hard for my children. I sacrificed for my children. I work with those police more than one time and I am around them. I need them to help me bury my son."

Palma's mother claims that her son relayed to her that while he was swimming at Vista Del Mar, he saw the alleged rape victim having sex with one of the young men that she was with. She asserts that she does not condone any sort of outlaw behavior from him, and she often facilitates police from Ladyville whenever they ask her to bring him in. It would have been his third charge for rape. He was charged in 2013 and in 2014.