‘Ukay-ukay’ store owner found dead, robbed

A young businesswoman was found dead in her own home and store in Quezon city, believed to have been killed, and even robbed, by her own cousin.

The victim was identified as Dominga Olivar, 33, who had been staying in a room behind her second-hand clothing shop on Commonwealth Avenue, at the corner of Ilang-Ilang street, Barangay Batasan Hills.

She was discovered suffocated in her room early morning on Monday, by one of her staff who came in to work at around 6:30 a.m.

Before noon, a suspect was already identified: Jenson Alonzo, 20, the victim’s cousin, her former employee, and the last person seen leaving the store, with scratches on his body and face, said Insp. Elmer Monsalve, head of the homicide section of the Quezon City Police District-Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (QCPD-CIDU).

Alonzo was found not far from the store, after being pointed to by witnesses in the area. Still bearing the wounds believed to have been inflicted by Olivar, Alonzo went quietly with the police, Monsalve said.

Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) team led by Chief Inspector Nellson Sta. Maria noted that the victim’s head was wrapped with clothing, her hands tied using a plastic cord. Her room was also in a disarray.

The victim’s cell phone was found on Alonzo, prompting Monsalve to believe his motive for killing was robbery, or a personal grudge. Police investigators said upon interrogation, the suspect even admitted to killing the victim.

The victim’s body will undergo autopsy to determine if she was also sexually abused, as she was half naked when her body was discovered.

Criminal complaints of robbery and homicide will be filed against Alonzo on Tuesday, according to Monsalve.