Family of woman found dead in hotel room taps NBI help

CEBU, Philippines - The family of the 28-year-old wife of a businessman who was found dead inside her room in one of the posh hotels in Lapu-Lapu City last December 22, after allegedly committing suicide, has requested the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct a thorough investigation.

Gemymah Sylvia Victorio requested the NBI to investigate the death of her sister, Elke Mae Victorio, because of suspicion that she did not commit suicide but was murdered inside her hotel room.

In her complaint filed before the NBI, Gemymah asked that her brother-in-law Paul Stephen Montenegro be investigated because of his failure to immediately report the death of his wife to the authorities.

It took 19 hours after he discovered his wife’s alleged suicide before Montenegro reported the incident to the security officer of the hotel where they checked in.

In his sworn statement before the Lapu-Lapu City Police, Montenegro said he saw his wife hanged herself using an electric iron cord inside their hotel room between 10:00 p.m. to midnight of December 22, 2009.

Montenegro claimed he took a bottle opener and cut the electric cord used to tie his wife’s neck and carried his wife to the bed where he allegedly tried to revive by pumping her chest. He claimed that he was shocked of the incident and did not know what to do after his wife did not respond to the revival methods he applied.

Montenegro said he called up his friend for advice who also referred a lawyer to him. It was only then that he together with his lawyer Deolito Alvarez reported the incident to the security officer of the hotel. He said he did not know why his wife committed suicide but he said he is sure that nobody could have killed her as there was no other person in their room. He also showed text messages supposedly sent by his wife to their daughter, expressing she is contemplating on committing suicide.

According to the initial investigation conducted by the team headed by SPO2 Rolito Jumao-as of the Lapu-Lapu Homicide Division, the woman checked in the hotel together with her husband (name withheld pending investigation). — Fred P. Languido/MEEV   (FREEMAN NEWS)