PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur (Philippines): A mother and her three children were found stabbed to death inside their home, shocking residents of Barangay Litapan, Josefina, Zamboanga del Sur, on Monday (June 29).
Lt. Julito Pamalaran, police chief of Josefina town in Zamboanga del Sur, stated that investigators discovered the mother and her three children stabbed dead inside the house.
According to Pamalaran, the crime may have been committed on Saturday night.
“Since the area is somewhat remote and far from nearby houses, the gruesome crime was not immediately noticed,” he said.
Pamalaran said that police investigators continue to gather evidence and interview witnesses to establish the circumstances behind the killings and determine the suspects.
He appealed to the public for any information that could help in solving the case.
Family murder in Zamboanga del sur
The victims were identified as Arlene Fernan Dumalte, 42, a barangay health worker, and her children Nashyl, 16, a Grade 10 student; En-en, 14, Grade 8; and Arnel, 11, Grade 6, all studying at their village’s public schools.
Alejo Indangan, a barangay kagawad, called the Josefina Municipal Police Station at 7am to inform them about the discovery of the gruesome crime.
Indangan recounted that while tending to his cow near the victims’ residence at about 6.45am, he noticed the arm of Arlene protruding through a broken portion of the wall.
He said the victims were lying in pools of blood when he went inside their house to check for signs of life.
The family had been living in a house that a defunct non-governmental organization had once owned.
Indangan said he last saw the Dumalte children on Saturday evening when they connected to his Piso Wi-Fi service.
Another neighbour, Marissa Restituta, told police investigators that she last saw Arlene on Saturday afternoon, when she collected a community contribution.
Initial findings suggest the suspects may have entered through the damaged wall of the house, according to the police chief. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
