Caloocan cops name woman in drum

MANILA, Philippines – Police identified yesterday the woman found Tuesday stuffed in a drum at the backyard of a soldier’s house in Caloocan City.

Chief Inspector Rodrigo Soriano, Caloocan City police station investigation chief, identified the victim as Teresita Viray, 47, a businesswoman from Pampanga.

“The victim was identified by her relatives. They said she was in a buy-and-sell of jewelry business,” he told The STAR.

Soriano said Viray may be a robbery victim because her jewelry and the P20,000 she was reportedly carrying when she left Pampanga two weeks ago were missing.

Early morning Tuesday, Viray’s body was found by residents at the backyard of a house owned by Philippine Air Force (PAF) M/Sgt. Nestor Duran in De la Costa Subdivision at Barangay 179, Caloocan City North.

“The foul smell emanating from the soldier’s house prompted the residents to investigate and uncover the victim’s body stuffed in a drum at Duran’s backyard. The question now is, how did the drum land in that backyard, which is enclosed by a 10-feet high concrete fence?” Soriano said.

He said the victim was only in her underwear when found. He said Duran was at work yesterday at the PAF headquarters.

Soriano begged off from answering any more questions, saying that city police chief Senior Superintendent Jude Santos and their field investigators were still conducting a “deeper investigation” of the case.

“We will give more information when we already have the result of the autopsy,” Soriano said when asked whether the victim could have been sexually abused.

Police Officer 1 Teofilo Mayjay of the Caloocan City police Sub-station 4, which has jurisdiction over the case, said Viray was shot in the head.