FOUR family members, including a baby and a seven-year-old child, were found dead in their house in Barangay Canlalay, Biñan City, Laguna on Tuesday afternoon, June 15, 2021.
A report from the Biñan City Police Station said the father, Johnny Martinez, 46, may have killed his wife and children before killing himself.
Police said the neighbors heard the baby crying while the couple engaged in a heated argument on Monday evening, June 14.
The neighbors said the couple had been quarreling over their financial problems since Martinez was laid off amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. Martinez had worked as a bus driver of St. Rose Transit.
The children, aged one and seven years old, and their mother Jolly Espinas, 41, sustained head injuries that were believed to have caused their death.
The children were found with cloth face masks stuffed in their mouths. A bloodied hammer was also found at the scene, police said.
The father was found hanging at the stairway. His hands were covered with blood.
Police said the family's only source of income since Martinez was laid off was a small sari-sari store, police said.The family had no known enemies and were known to be law-abiding citizens, police added. (Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo / SunStar Philippines)