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Peru Officer Dies After Drinking Seized Yogurt Linked to Prior Case as Autopsy Cites Internal Asphyxia

Parallel inquiries now examine possible evidence-handling failures at the Aguaytía station.

Overview

  • José Williams Pérez Cubas, a 22-year-old third-class subofficer, fell ill during an overnight shift after consuming a yogurt inside the Aguaytía police station and died shortly after at a nearby medical center.
  • Local reports say the yogurt had been seized days earlier in a poisoning investigation and was stored in the investigations area without warning labels or basic safety measures.
  • A necropsy was performed in Pucallpa, and the death certificate lists the cause as internal asphyxia, with full toxicology and forensic analyses still pending.
  • Prosecutors and the National Police have launched proceedings to determine whether chain-of-custody or protocol failures contributed to the incident.
  • Relatives, including his brother Gilmer, allege negligence and demand transparency, as the officer is mourned by his wife and four-month-old daughter, with burial held in Cajamarca.