A hard drive containing video footage of what may have transpired during the shooting incident which led to the death of Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. is missing, a provincial official said.

Espinosa was shot dead by authorities inside his cell during an alleged search operation at the Baybay City Provincial Jail early Saturday.

But Leyte provincial administrator Edgardo Cordeño said the hard drive containing CCTV footage of the jail, presumably also of the shooting incident, was nowhere to be found.

As of posting time, the Leyte provincial jail warden refused to issue a statement but authorities said they will conduct an investigation into the matter, according to a DZMM report.

Netizens, however, have already expressed their disbelief that the mayor was killed after allegedly shooting at authorities inside his own jail cell.

Espinosa, who was tagged by President Rodrigo Duterte in his narco-list, was arrested in October for illegal drug possession. His son Kerwin, an alleged drug lord, was nabbed in Abu Dhabi.

The mayor's body has been brought to a funeral parlor in Ormoc, Leyte where his family is waiting for an autopsy.

Supporters of Espinosa have also flocked to the funeral parlor to wait for future developments. - With reports from Ranulfo Docdocan