A woman was found strangled inside the toilet of a hotel in Manila on Sunday as her two children lay on the bed crying, police said.
Manila Police District homicide section head Joey de Ocampo said the body was discovered after a room attendant noticed that the door was ajar and heard children crying “Mama, Papa.”
When the attendant entered the room, he saw the children on the bed while the woman was lying face down in the toilet with a plastic cord tied around her neck at one end and the other end tied to the faucet.
An investigation showed that the woman, who was still unidentified at press time, and a man, together with the two children, checked in at 1:50 p.m. on Sunday at Room No. 4 of Beehive Travelers Inn on VG Cruz Street near the corner of Magsaysay Boulevard in Sampaloc, Manila.
The body was discovered two hours later.
The hotel did not keep a guests’ logbook, but a security camera footage showed the man rushing out of the building while covering his face.
The children were placed in the care of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The unidentified man was described to be about 35 years old, 5’7” to 5’9” in height, with fair complexion and of medium build. He was wearing a blue shirt, short pants and a cap.
The victim was around 30 to 35 years old, 4’10” in height, slim and fair-skinned, and wearing a black shirt and pants.