Dead cop's father wants suicide angle crossed out

While the remains of the policewoman from Western Visayas who shot herself inside the bathroom of a bakery is set for transport tomorrow to her hometown in Domaraw, Aklan, her father appealed to Cebu City police investigators to rule out suicide and look into other angles that caused her death.

PO1 Karesh Valenzuela was found bloodied inside the comfort room of the La Fortuna Bakery near Basilica del Sto. Niño the other day with a gunshot wound on the right temple, the bullet exited out of her left temple and bored a hole in the wall. She was taken to the hospital where she died hours later. Her father Reminio Valenzuela, assistant regional director of Nation Police Commission in Region 11 said investigators should rule out suicide because Karesh, the only girl among his children, was very close to him and he knows it was impossible for her to commit such an act.

Reminio said Karesh confided everything to him and he could not recall her mentioning problems in love or relationships.

Reminio said that ten minutes before she was found bloodied in the bathroom last Saturday he got a text message from her inquiring how he was and that he answered her that he was fine.

He added that later at noon he was informed of her death, he tried calling her cellphone but it was apparently turned off and already "out of reach".

There is a big possibility that it was an accidental firing, said Reminio, adding that investigators should also trace where her daughter's cellphone is now because responding policemen who rushed to the scene and later took her to the hospital said they did not find her cellphone.

The grieving father said Karesh did not really plan to be in the police service and had even finished a physical therapy degree.

He said that after he retired as a policeman and became a lawyer of the Napolcom, he advised her to take the Napolcom exam for no particular reason. Karesh passed it and eventually decided to join the PNP.

Police regional director Silverio Alarcio, who went to the wake of Karesh, gave financial assistance and a letter of condolence to her father.

Alarcio said he will not comment on the incident because everything at this time is speculative in nature, hence it would be better to wait for the results of the investigation.

Karesh was among 50 Field Training Program policemen from Region 6 who arrived here in Cebu last August 20 as augmentation force for the policemen here in Cebu who served as host of the 12th ASEAN Summit. She was assigned to the Traffice Management Group last December 20 to help secure the devotees crowding the Sto. Niño shrine. - Flor Z. Perolina