Woman, daughter killed in Caloocan heist

Manila, Philippines -  A seaman’s wife and her 15-year-old daughter were killed by suspected robbers in Caloocan City before dawn yesterday.

Faith Jaena, 50, “appeared to have tried to protect her daughter (Tessa), who also died from multiple stab wounds, for she sustained more than 50 wounds all over her body,” Chief Inspector Ronald Perilla told The STAR.

Faith and Tessa, a third year high school student, were found dead in the master’s bedroom of their house in Palmera Spring Subdivision in Barangay 173 at around 8 a.m. by Tessa’s older brother, Timothy, who had just come from a night shift job.

The house was in disarray and several of their belongings – including a laptop, jewelry, mobile phones and undetermined amount of money – were missing.

“But there was no sign of forced entry, an indication that the suspects could be known to the victims. The suspects even locked the main door of the house as they left,” Perilla said.

He said witnesses saw two men, one slightly built and the other chubby, both around 45 to 50 years old, drinking at the terrace of the house at around 1 a.m.

A blooded 12-inch kitchen knife was recovered near the victims’ bodies, Perilla said.

He said that based on initial investigation, the motive could be robbery but they are also looking at other angles. Perilla said that the mother is engaged in money lending “but only to a select few or those only known to them.”