A working mother arrived home on Thursday near midnight to a nightmare in Barangay Greater Fairview in Quezon City: Her son and her househelper lying dead in their own blood, apparently victims of a robbery turned brutal.
Coming home from work at around 10 p.m., Felicisima Tinio noticed that the gate to her home on Biscayne Street had been left ajar, with the lights off inside the house. The solid gate to the one-story home was the sort that could only be opened from the inside.
According to a report from Quezon City Police District Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (QCPD-CIDU) head Chief Insp. Rodelio Marcelo, upon entering the house and turning on the lights, Tinio first discovered the body of her house helper Rose Estrira, 60, lying on the bloodied kitchen floor, feet tied with an electric extension cord.
Tinio then went on to the master’s bedroom where she discovered the body of her son, Paul Sigfred, 33, lying on the floor, blood pooling around the head, hands and feet bound, an electric cord and a women’s belt wrapped tightly around his neck.
Tinio ran out of the home and sought help from her neighbors and barangay watchmen, who then called the police.
Marcelo, quoting Tinio, said the master’s bedroom was in “disarray.” Quezon City police homicide section chief Insp. Elmer Monsalve said jewelry and cash of a still undetermined amount were reported missing from inside a vault in the room.
Monsalve said the victims were both struck at the back of the head, but only Tinio’s son was strangled.
A machete was found in a sink in the kitchen, but investigators have yet to determine if this was the weapon used to kill the victims, Monsalve said.
Monsalve said the female Tinio worked in a company “outsourced” by a government agency, but declined to give further details on her background.
Police investigators are looking at all possible angles, including that the perpetrator may have been known to the victims.
Monsalve says they are currently looking for witnesses and any security cameras near the home to identify the perpetrator of the grisly crime.