AUTHORITIES have identified individuals of interest in connection with the suspected murder of a woman whose body was discovered inside a suitcase floating in a river in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.
The victim, a minor who had been reported missing in North Caloocan for nearly a week, was found dead on Thursday, February 13.
PCMS Adrian Nolasco, station commander of the San Jose del Monte Police Community Precinct 2, said they received a report about a foul odor coming from a suitcase floating along the Sapang Alat River, which borders North Caloocan and Bulacan.
“We saw a slightly opened suitcase, and a body was visible inside. The victim was in a fetal position, fully clothed but bloated from being submerged in water,” Nolasco stated.
Investigators noted that the victim sustained wounds on her body. Police are considering the possibility that the suitcase may have been carried downstream from North Caloocan to Bulacan due to recent heavy rains.
TRACING THE VICTIM’S LAST MOMENTS
According to the victim’s family, she had left home on February 7, asking permission to visit a friend.
Her last known contact was with a friend who persistently called her that night, pleading for her to come over because the friend was allegedly being beaten by her husband.
CCTV footage captured the victim hesitating before heading to her friend’s house. In a recorded conversation, she was heard saying, “Your husband might do something to me later. He’s had enough of me.”
Another CCTV clip showed her walking toward her friend’s house in North Caloocan that night.
After that, she was never seen or heard from again. Her social media account was deactivated, and her phone became unreachable.
On February 10, after days of searching, her family officially reported her missing.
Three days later, their worst fears were realized when her body was found stuffed inside a suitcase in the river.
“I couldn’t recognize her face. She had a hole in her neck. And the shorts she was wearing… those were mine too,” her sibling tearfully recalled.
Authorities continue to investigate the case, with the identified persons of interest under close scrutiny.