Inayawan police continue to investigate killing of mall saleslady

Map of Cebu City. | File photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Inayawan police continue to look for possible suspect/s in the killing of a mall saleslady in her rented house in Sitio Laguna in Brgy. Bulacao, Cebu City on Friday.

Police Major Jeciree Basitao, the chief of the Inayawan Police Station, said that while they have already identified some individuals with possible links to the crime, they could not be considered as suspects yet.

Basitao issued the clarification after Pardo Barangay Captain Dave Tumulak posted on his social media a photo of Darren Somosot, a neighbor of victim Charina Baoy Relativo.

READ: Cebu mall sales lady found dead in Bulacao home, rape suspected

“Kon inyo kining makita, palihug sa pagtawag sa Station 7 Inayawan Police Station sa cel number 09985986286 or pag Chat sa Inayawan Police Station 7, Cebu City Police Office or sa pinakadool nga police station. Magtinabangay kita kontra krimen,” Tumulak said.

Basitao admitted that Somosot was among those who they invited to the police station for questioning since he was the one who discovered Relativo’s body.

READ: Mall saleslady found dead, naked in Cebu City home identified

However, she clarified that he is not considered a person of interest in the crime, as of this writing.

The police chief said that they invited Somosot hoping that he has vital information that will help in their ongoing investigation.

READ: Person of interest identified in death of saleslady found naked, burned

But, Somosot did not show up at the police station on Friday. He could not also be found in his residence in Sitio Laguna.

Naked, lifeless body

Relativo, who works as a saleslady in a mall in Cebu City, was found naked and dead in her rented house in Sitio Laguna, Brgy. Bulacao on Friday afternoon.

During the investigation, Johnhjie Gaviola, Relativo’s common-law partner, told the police that he asked Somosot, a neighbor in Sitio Laguna, to go to their rented house and check on her after she failed to respond to his text messages.

Somosot was also a good friend of Gaviola’s brother as they play basketball together.

Gaviola was at work when Relativo was killed Friday afternoon.  He is a salesman at the same mall where Relativo also works.

He said that Somosot asked another neighbor and friend, Anthony Abalaya, to accompany him in going to their rented house at around 12:30 p.m.

When Somosot and Abalaya went next door, they found Relativo’s naked and lifeless body. Her hair was also burned by fire coming from a nearby butane stove.

Police are yet to determine why a butane stove was near her body.

Autopsy

Basitao said that they had Relativo’s body subjected to an autopsy to determine the cause of her death and to determine if she was indeed raped before she was killed.

However, autopsy results remain unavailable as of this writing.

Until they get hold of the autopsy results, Basitao is urging the public to refrain from speculating on the cause of Relativo’s death.

She is also urging the public to refrain from spreading unverified information online that could hamper their ongoing investigation.