CEBU, Philippines - A 37-year-old woman and her 11-year-old daughter were found dead inside the septic tank of their house at Deca Homes, Barangay Tungkil, Minglanilla town, yesterday morning after they were allegedly murdered by people who owed the woman money.
The bodies of Virginia “Gene” Sharpe and her daughter Meca Ella were found by the police together with the barangay officials, after some of the victims’ friends reported they have been missing for almost a week.
Laborers Manuel Labrador, Espelito Ricamora, and George Baquiran, of Lower Calajoan, Minglanilla, were arrested by the police past 1 p.m. yesterday in a hot pursuit operation. They are now considered suspects in the double murder.
Senior Police Officer 2 Oliver Dacua, desk officer of Minglanilla Police Station, said that Virginia’s friend and neighbors began looking for her after she suddenly disappeared.
Dacua said that Virginia’s friends tried to call and text her several times but got no answer, leading them to suspect that something might have happened to her.
Meca’s teacher also looked for the child after she missed school for four days. She was reportedly a candidate for valedictorian in her school.
Past 9 a.m. yesterday some of Virginia’s neighbors and friends requested the police to check her house because the neighbors noticed that her pet dog was still inside and their appliances were still on. Only the two lived in the house because Virginia’s foreigner husband worked in London.
“Ang iyang mga silingan ug iyang kaila nangita na ani niya, taud-taud wala na nakita, gitawagan sa cellphone wala motubag. Ang ilang duda nawagtang ni sila, ang iro naa sa sulod ‘nya ang appliances naka-plug,” Dacua said.
When the police arrived barangay officials and some of the victims’ neighbors were anxiously waiting outside the house. Because the main door was locked the police had to destroy the door to get inside.
“Gi-search ang balay sa barangay officials naka-notice sila naay baho sa sulod ‘nya naay naglupad-lupag nga lagong sa septic tank,” he said.
Chief Inspector Richard Gadingan suspected something was inside because of the flies and the foul odor. He ordered his men to open the septic tank and they saw a sack floating inside.
The sack was found to contain the bodies of Virginia and her daughter.
“Pagkakita nako sa duha ka lawas wa na ko mipondo sa crime scene, gusto man gud nga madakpan dayon ang mga suspek kay dili lalim na’ng hitaboa. Kung ikaw ang amahan pamilyado pod biya ko, at least nahatag nato ang hustisya sa pamilya,” Gadingan said.
During the investigation they came upon a Facebook post of Virginia that someone owed her money but when she demanded payment he became furious. Investigators found out based on the statements of the neighbors that the last people that they saw were the three laborers who were hired by the victim to work on her house.
The police went first to Labrador’s house, he was subsequently arrested after he allegedly admitted his participation in the crime. But he told policemen it was Ricamora and Baquiran who killed the victims by stabbing them repeatedly. After that they placed bodies in a sack, threw it in the septic tank and then sealed the tank with cement and tiles.
The suspects also took the victim’s mobile phones and other personal belongings. These were later recovered by the police from the suspects, but Gadingan said there were other items taken from the house that have to be recovered.
Police are convinced revealed that the victim lent money to the suspects, but when she demanded payment from the three they could not pay the victim and killed her and her daughter.
Police suspect the crime was committed Friday afternoon because Meca Ella was still in her school uniform. They are not discounting the possibility that one or both of the victims might have been raped before being killed.
Gadingan said that with the arrest of the suspect’s he can consider the case initially solved, but he said they need to conduct further investigation on the incident.
“Sa pagkakaron maka-ingon na ta nga sulbad na ang kaso ani’ng hitaboa, pero ongoing ang atong imbestigasyon basin naa pa’y laing apil ani,” Gadingan added. —/BRP (FREEMAN)