Cops eye rape on woman’s murder

POLICE personnel said Wednesday they are giving priority on the angle of rape as the motive in the murder of a 27-year-old woman whose dead body was found near her house in Barangay Kauswagan, this city.

This, after Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit operatives headed by Chief Inspector Reynante Reyes recovered Wednesday the victim’s bag containing her money, cellular phone, and other personal documents when they went back to the crime scene to gather more evidences and traces of the suspect.

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"We were quiet surprise why the victim’s bag was not recovered by investigators who first responded to the area. Now, we will be focusing on the angle of rape," Reyes said.

On Monday, the dead body of Liezl B. Baranda was found a few meters away from her house in Barangay Kauswagan. She was missing since Friday afternoon but her husband, Aurelio, reported to police only on Saturday evening.

Aurelio was earlier included as one of the suspects on her death, including Jonathan Abarabar, a taxi driver whose taxi the victim rode before she was reported missing.

Abarabar voluntarily surrendered to Bombo Radyo on Monday a few hours after Baranda’s body was found.

Reyes said they had already filed charges of unjust vexation against Abarabar based on the complaint of a certain Phoebe Yañez.

Yañez alleged that Abarabar showed his private organ to her when she was on board his taxi.

Reyes said they consider Abarabar as one of the prime suspects of Baranda’s murder after they received information that he was the last person seen at the crime scene a day before Baranda’s body was found.

“With Abarabar’s case, we are optimistic that we can connect other circumstances that could lead to the identification of the real suspects,” Reyes said. (ALR)