Manhunt on for motel murder suspect

MANILA, Philippines – The Manila Police District is searching for an Iranian student suspected of killing a 55-year-old businesswoman in a motel room in Morayta last month.

Sayed Amir Hossein Masumsadeh, 26, a pharmacy student of the National University (NU), was the last person seen with Virgie Francisco, who died at the U-Belt Apartelle on Aug. 9, Senior Police Officer 2 Glenzor Vallejo said.

Vallejo said Francisco checked in at the motel at 9:57 p.m. and the student, then known only as “Frank,” followed a few minutes later. He left the motel 30 minutes later, leaving Francisco behind.

Motel employees usually call a room occupied by two customers if one is left behind, but since Masumsadeh was a regular, they did not call Francisco’s room.

After three hours, the room attendant called Francisco’s room to tell her they were supposed to check out. When she did not answer, hotel staff forced the door open and found the woman unconscious, with a head wound possibly caused by being hit with a blunt instrument, police said.

The attendants rushed the victim to the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Hospital but she was pronounced dead on arrival.

Vallejo said Masumsadeh was a former pharmacy student of UST but transferred to NU for still unknown reasons. He said the suspect has not gone home to his condominium unit since the incident and the Bureau of Immigration confirmed that he is still in the country.