ORMOC CITY– A 52-year-old woman was found dead inside her rented house in Barugo, Leyte on Friday (April 13) at about 9:40 am.
Police Major Darwin Dalde identified the victim as a certain Marian, 51, said to be a job order worker of the municipal government of Barugo, and residing in Sitio Lutao, Barangay Santarin.
Major Dalde, in an interview, said that at about 9:55 am on that day, the station received a cellular phone call from a concerned citizen seeking police assistance informing that a suicide incident occurred in the said place.
Initial investigation conducted by the responding officers disclosed that Maria Elena Florendo, 50, single, helper of the house, and Artemio Matol, 55, self-employed, single, and a resident of V@G Subdivision Tacloban City and a friend of the victim, forcibly destroyed the steel front door of the rented room of the victim since it was being locked from inside so they can gain entrance.
The police said that upon entering, the two witnesses already sensed a bad smell leading to the kitchen where they found the dead body of the victim hanged tied to her neck with a tire wire attached to the wooden trusses.
Matol untied the victim and put her on the sofa at the sala.
Major Dalde said that based on the account of Matol, the last communication they made between the victim was through cellular phone on April 11, at about 5:30 pm.
According to Matol, he was worried that since their last conversation on April 11, up to the time the victim was found dead, he did not received any message from the victim which he found to be unusual, prompting him to visit her at her rented space.
Matol said that the victim was suffering from family and financial problems.
(ROBERT DEJON)
