QCPD: Slain sis of actress was held for drugs in 2013

THE YOUNGER sister of actress Maritoni Fernandez, who was found dead on the roadside in Quezon City early Saturday, was arrested in 2013 along with members of the notorious Tinga drug group in Taguig City, according to a ranking police official who dug up her records.

A case file presented on Monday by Senior Supt. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar, director of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD), showed that Aurora Moynihan was arrested on Feb. 28, 2013, in Sta. Ana, Taguig, along with Joana Paula Tinga, Henry Tinga and Crayon Ong, during a raid on an apartment complex that allegedly housed a drug den.

The Tinga group had been described by the Taguig city government in past press statements as a bigtime syndicate that sells drugs not only in the city but also in other parts of Metro Manila.

Moynihan was then charged with possession of illegal drugs and for visiting a drug den. She was able to post bail while the other suspects remain in jail, Eleazar added.

The 45-year-old Moynihan was found dead along Temple Drive near the corner Giraffe Street in Barangay Ugong Norte around 1:40 a.m. on Sept. 10. The road leads to three gated  villages in the area—Greenmeadows, Corinthian Hills and White Plains.

She was found with gunshot wounds in the chest and the abdomen. Next to her body was a cardboard with the words “Drug pusher ng mga celebrities kasunod na kayo! (Drug pusher to celebrities. You’ll be next).”

The QCPD said there were two witnesses who heard gunshots after seeing a silver Toyota Fortuner pull over at the area. They were unable to take note of the license plate of the vehicle, which was last seen speeding off toward White Plains Avenue.

Four sachets of suspected “shabu,” aluminum foil, an improvised glass tooter, P470 in cash, two cell phones and other personal belongings were recovered from the body, the police added.

Except for Moynihan’s stepfather, Eduardo Fernandez, who went to Camp Karingal on Saturday to confirm the victim’s identity, no other family member has gone to the QCPD headquarters to give a formal statement.

In a message to the Inquirer, Maritoni Fernandez said Moynihan’s remains were cremated Monday morning and that the family would like to have a few days to grieve privately.

“When this has all sunk in, my family will release a statement. For now, our utmost priority is to put my sister to rest,’’ the message said.

Investigators on Sunday said that the recovered cell phones could contain text messages pointing to the persons Moynihan met before she was killed.

According to sources, the phones (a Huawei and a Cherry Mobile unit) also had “suspicious” text messages with the words “bato” (street lingo for drugs) and “items.” With a report from Bayani San Diego Jr.