THE wife of a Cebu-based drug lord, who was recently killed in a police operation in Murcia, was found dead in a sugarcane field in Barangay San Miguel, La Carlota City recently.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Jonel Guadalupe, La Carlota City police chief, identified the woman as Juliet Mercader, wife of Jinnefer Mercader, and resident of Borbon town in Cebu.

Guadalupe said Mercader's remains were found on Wednesday morning buried in a shallow grave. Police initially believed she may have been a victim of gang rape as she was naked when her body was discovered.

Cops also recovered jewelry, a gold watch, an amulet and the victim's clothes at the crime scene.

Mercader's remains were later identified by her next of kin.

The La Carlota City police chief said they will investigate the incident if it had any connection to the police operation launched against her husband earlier this week.

A post-mortem examination will also be conducted to determine when exactly she was killed, as well as her cause of death.