Capiz archbishop’s aunt, 3 others found hacked to death

ROXAS CITY, Philippines—An aunt of Capiz Archbishop Jose Advincula and three other persons were found dead in a house in the town of Dumalag in Capiz with their bodies hacked and their throats slashed, police said Wednesday.

Insp. Leonard Amar, Dumalag police chief, said the bodies of Ramona Gafate, 70, a retired teacher and aunt of the Capiz prelate, and those of househelp Wilma Catalan, 27, and her two daughters, Suwie, 5, and Christine, 3, were found in a state of decomposition inside the house in Barangay Poblacion on Tuesday afternoon.

The bodies bore multiple hack and stab wounds and their throats were slashed, Amar said, adding investigators recovered a knife, a machete and an axe at the scene.

They also found a suicide note purportedly written by Wilma.

He said an investigation was ongoing.

Dumalag is 50 kilometers south of Roxas City, the provincial capital.