Dead woman near Laoag sand dunes identified

LAOAG CITY — Police on Tuesday said the woman found dead near the sand dunes in this city on Monday was a 17-year-old student living in the village of Casili here.

Angelita Daquioag Doña said the victim, her daughter Donna Mae, sought her permission to go out and left at about 8 p.m. Sunday but never returned home.

Donna Mae was found dead early Monday morning at the back of a hut in in Talingaan village, near the sand dunes here. She had about 40 stab wounds to the neck and body.

BACKSTORY: Dead woman found near Laoag’s sand dunes

Doña said a person aboard a motorcycle fetched her daughter from their house on Sunday night. She said she could not identify the person driving the motorcycle or tell if it was a man or a woman because it was dark.

“They talked outside the house. She told me she will go out and return immediately,” said Doña.

When Donna Mae failed to return later that night, Doña said she got worried especially when her daughter did not reply to her text messages. She also tried calling her mobile phone but it was turned off.

Doña said family members started looking for her the following morning and were informed by one of Donna Mae’s friends that a woman was found dead near the sand dunes.

She said they went to the funeral parlor where the body was taken and were able to identify it as Donna Mae’s on Tuesday morning.

Donna Mae’s boyfriend, Ace Mark Balmes, 18, a resident of Dingras, Ilocos Norte, said he was able to talk to her by telephone on Sunday.

Balmes said they seldom see each other because he had summer classes. He said he did not know where Donna Mae went on the night she went missing.

Doña said Donna Mae was second of three children and the only girl in the brood. Donna Mae was an incoming freshman student at the Northwestern University here and would have taken a hotel and restaurant management course.