Mom, daughter found dead inside septic tank

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A woman and her 11-year-old daughter were killed and dumped in a septic tank of their house in Deca Homes Phase 2, Barangay Tungkil, Minglanilla town, at least 17 kilometers south of here.

The body of Virginia Sharpe, 37, was found floating inside the septic tank past 9 a.m. on Thursday, said  Chief Inspector Richard Gadingan, Minglanilla police chief.

The police also found a sack containing the body of  her daughter, Mica Ella who was still in her school uniform, he added.

The bodies of two victims had stab wounds and were in a state of decomposition.

Virginia’s husband is a foreigner based in London.

Gadingan said they arrested three men – carpenters hired by the family. Found from their possession were some items belonging to the victims, he added.

The suspects were still being interrogated, said Gadingan, but the motive in the killing could be robbery.

The police chief said the victims may have been killed over the weekend because the neighbors had not seen the mother and daughter since Monday.

Some neighbors and barangay officials decided to check on the two and forcibly opened the main door. They were greeted by a pungent odor from the septic tank near the kitchen where a number of flies were hovering.

They immediately alerted the police.