Police reinvestigating Mexican chef's death in Pampanga resort

MANILA, Philippines - The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) is reinvestigating the case of a Mexican chef of the Fontana Leisure Park in Angeles City, Pampanga who reportedly committed suicide last Dec. 26.

The family of Elisa Gutierrez, 25, does not believe that she killed herself, prompting Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno to order Chief Superintendent Raul Castañeda, CIDG director, to reopen the case.

Gutierrez’s family relayed their wish for a reinvestigation through the Mexican embassy.

Among the items retrieved from Gutierrez’s room at the time of her death was her diary, which Castañeda forwarded to the Mexican embassy for translation.

Castañeda hopes that the diary would yield substantial evidence that would help them in investigating whether Gutierrez committed suicide or not.

Gutierrez was found hanging from a metal brace at her office at the Fontana Leisure Park last Dec. 26. A foul smell led banquet waiter Erwin Paras and driver Marvin Kim to her body.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) established the cause of death as asphyxia by hanging with a superficial stab wound in the neck and incision wounds on the wrist as contributory factors.

Gutierrez “yielded negative presence of any defense wounds that wound indicate that she was physically abused/harmed by any individual,” the NBI said in its report.

Angelita Manansala, 57, Fontana’s senior human resource manager, said Gutierrez approached her sometime in November that she was not happy with her work and that she was eager to return to her country.

Manansala prevailed upon Gutierrez to stay, as she explained that under her contract, she would reimburse the company’s expenses in hiring her.

A roommate of Gutierrez, Sarah Andrychuck, said the chef did not eat or sleep for almost a week before her death.

Andrychuck also recalled that she sharpened her knives in the bathroom and placed them at the towel rack.

Castañeda said his men are analyzing all objects found at the scene, along with Guiterrez’s belongings.

The blood drips on the floor will also be tested if they belonged solely to Gutierrez.

Castañeda said her neck and wrist wounds will be carefully studied to determine if she herself or other people inflicted them.

He added that all entries on the victim’s cellular phone will be examined, too.