Naloloka ang mga pulis sa Tracy, California dahil sa mga phone call na natatanggap nila mula sa mga Pilipino na gustong ma kasiguro kung talagang bangkay ni Rod Strunk ang nasa pag-iingat nila.
May update si Danielle MacMurchy ng Tracy Press tungkol sa suicide case ng ex-husband ni Mama Nida Blanca.
Heto ang report ni Danielle na may kinalaman sa mga siguristang Pinoy. Ang title ng report? Is Tracy’s Strunk the Philippines’ Elvis?
Some people in that country think his death might be greatly exaggerated.
City public affairs officer Matt Robinson’s cell phone has rung off the hook for the past week and a half with Philippine-based reporters who doubt the death of Roger Strunk, 68-year-old Tracy resi dent who 3-years ago avoided extradition to the Philippines on charges he hired someone to kill his movie and television star wife.
Robinson took at least 15 calls from reporters who asked for an autopsy photo and asked who witnessed the body after Strunk fell from a balcony of the Tracy Inn.
Some Filipinos ques tion Strunk’s death even though paramedics found his body in the parking lot of Tracy Inn. Filipino families usually invite the community to an open-casket wake that lasts for several days and the media has easy access to photos of the dead and funeral services in the country. But, because they haven’t seen proof, they question whether or not Strunk is indeed dead.
“They want to know the updates every day,” Robinson said. “I tell them ˜he’s still dead.”
The news of Strunk’s death is front-page news in the Philippines because many people on the island country believe Strunk murdered his wife, Nida Blanca, a beloved actress.
“They really thought Roger Strunk knew something about the murder that was never really revealed,” said Regina Reyes, Northern American bureau chief for Filipino newspaper ABS-CBN International, which reported that Strunk did indeed die. “Now that he died, it’s like it sparked all the media interest all over again.”
Blanca’s daughter, Kaye Torres, wrote in a press release that she believes Strunk’s alleged death is a conspiracy. She is urging Filipino authorities to continue to investigate Strunk’s once-suspected connection with her mother’s death.
“People are asking a lot of personal questions and I really try to be sensitive to the families,” said Cindy Angeli, sergeant at the San Joaquin County Coroner’s office.
She said she received several calls last week.
Les Garcia, spokesman for the San Joaquin County Sherriffs Department, said that Strunk’s body was sent to a toxicology lab to test if Strunk had any drugs or poison before he died.
The cause of his death won’t be resolved for at least six more weeks, he added.
A memorial service is planned for Friday at Good Shepherd Community Church, 306 W. Eaton Ave.