DAVAO CITY, Philippines — It has been five years since Davao visual artist Breanna Patricia “Bree” Jonson died, and her family still awaits the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) final report on her death.
Bree’s mother, Salome “Sally” Jonson, has followed up on the investigation, that repeatedly took her between Canada and the Philippines.
Jonson only wants to know how Bree died, what the evidence showed and what the investigation found.
If evidence supports it, she wants the case brought before a court.
One of the family’s major efforts was the submission of CCTV footage to the NBI in December 2021.
The family has repeatedly followed up on the evidence but received no clear update. “Until now, [there is] no response,” Jonson told Davao Today on Sept. 18 during Bree’s 5th death anniversary.
The follow-ups continued as personnel assigned to the case changed.
Jonson said the family made repeated trips to the Philippines to seek updates, including trips to Manila and Davao. The process, she said, has become “costly and frustrating.”
In May 2026, she personally submitted letters to NBI offices asking for immediate response to the long-overdue report.
The family’s lawyer also wrote senior NBI officials that month, seeking an urgent status review, executive intervention, possible reconstitution of the investigative team and renewed forensic examination of CCTV and DVR evidence.
Death in La Union
Jonson was in Canada when she received the tragic news on Sept. 18, 2021—Bree had died in La Union.
The COVID-19 pandemic was still raging, and coming home was complicated.
Bree was staying with her then-boyfriend Julian Roberto Ongpin at a resort in San Juan, La Union, when she was found unresponsive inside their room.
Ongpin, son of the late businessman Roberto Ongpin, told authorities he found Bree hanging in the bathroom.
An initial autopsy conducted by the Philippine National Police (PNP) indicated Bree died of asphyxia, or impaired breathing. Police also recovered 12.6 grams of cocaine from the room, leading to a separate drug case against Ongpin.
In October 2021, then-Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the NBI had subpoenaed Ongpin, taken statements from people who were with the couple the night before Jonson died and conducted its own autopsy.
The NBI also performed forensic and histopathological examinations before releasing its findings.
The PNP said it had turned over evidence in its custody to the NBI.
Ongpin’s drug case was dismissed in November 2021 due to lapses in chain of custody. In December 2021, he was declared no longer a person of interest in Bree’s death as police concluded there were no signs of crime.
Contemporary visual artist
Bree was raised partly in Davao and studied industrial engineering at Ateneo de Davao University before pursuing art. She later enrolled at the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts but left after a semester and continued developing her practice under artist Jason Montinola.
By 2020, she had exhibited her paintings in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Manila and New York. Her work often featured animals, underwater environments and imagined ecosystems.
“I already knew from the start that I wanted to be in the creative field,” Jonson said in a 2020 interview with Art & Market.
She was 30 when she died.
Jonson family wants NBI final report
The family has repeatedly asked the NBI to clarify whether its investigation has been completed, what evidence was examined, what conclusions were reached and whether investigative steps remain unfinished.
It has also asked for an accounting of evidence submitted to the bureau, including the CCTV footage.
The family has raised concerns about whether the prominence of people connected to the case may have affected the pace of the investigation.
It has stressed that this is a concern about the prolonged delay and is not a conclusion regarding anyone’s culpability.
“We are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for equal treatment—the same urgency, diligence and commitment that should be afforded to every case, regardless of who is involved or how much political pressure surrounds it,” the family said in a statement.
Davao Today emailed the NBI requesting for an update on the investigation, including whether a final report has been issued and the status of the CCTV evidence submitted by the family.
The NBI had not responded as of publication. Davao Today continues to await its response.
Remembering Bree beyond the case
For Jonson, the search for answers is also a way of remembering the daughter she lost.
Bree was active in the Ateneo Art Company (ArtCo), where her friend Joselito “Ash” Lagon said she became one of its presidents and helped revive its activities.
Lagon recalled her involvement in exhibitions, mural projects, art walks and workshops. He said Bree also wanted to contribute to the art scene in Mindanao and had plans for exhibitions in Davao.
On Sept. 18, 2026, family and friends gathered at Davao Memorial Park in Matina to remember her.
ArtCo also posted a tribute, highlighting Bree’s contribution to the organization and joining calls for justice.
For Ateneo student Fatimah Guiani of Gabriela Youth-Jacinto, Bree’s death continues to resonate within the university community.
Guiani said families waiting for answers deserve timely and transparent information about what authorities have done, what remains to be investigated and what they can expect moving forward.
“Families do the tedious work of following up and submitting evidence,” Guiani said. “The least that government agencies can do is to properly acknowledge and evaluate these submissions.” (davaotoday.com)
