The body of a dead woman was found near the seawall at the South Road Properties at past 6 a.m. on Tuesday, November 19. | Paul Lauro
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Authorities here have arrested the alleged suspect behind the death of 22-year-old Neca Denise Lagria, whose body was discovered near the seawall at the Cebu South Road Properties (SRP) on Tuesday, November 19.
Police Colonel Antonietto Cañete, city director of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), revealed earlier that they had identified a person of interest in the case.
On Wednesday afternoon, November 20, police have already arrested the suspect of the killing of Lagria at Sitio Libo, Barangay Tayud, in Consolacion town.
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Authorities also confiscated two small packs of suspected shabu from the accused.
On the day the victim was found, witnesses claimed that the body was dumped by a vehicle in the area early on Tuesday. Police were then able to find CCTV footage corroborating the witnesses’ statements.
According to Cañete, they are probing the exact location where the victim was killed as part of their ongoing investigation.
Lagria was last seen by her family leaving their house in Brgy. Yati, Liloan to go to work at around 4:00 a.m. on Tuesday.
She has been working as a cashier at a restaurant in Mandaue City for less than a year.
Lagria’s counsin, Jnypher Noval, told the media that she left earlier than usual to attend a 5:00 a.m. meeting at work on Tuesday.
Unbeknown to them, Lagria was not at the meeting and was absent at work on that day. They became alarmed when she did not return home on Tuesday evening.
Dead woman found near SRP seawall
Meanwhile, a body of a dead woman was found near the seawall of the South Road Properties at around 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday. The cadaver of the woman, who was unidentified at the time, showed bruises on different parts of the body.
After hearing news of the body, the Lagria family became suspicious and went to verify the identity on Wednesday, November 20.
To their shock, the dead woman was indeed their youngest child. She was still wearing her work uniform when they found her body.
Some of Lagria’s devastated relatives each visited her cadaver at a funeral home in Cebu City on Wednesday noon.
Noval told reporters that it would still be difficult for them to process the tragic fate of her cousin, whom she was very close to.
She also said that the victim did not receive any death threats before her death.
Lagria also did not have a lover, according to her family.
Call for killer to surrender
The victim’s family suspects that Lagria may have been picked up while waiting for a jeepney and was the victim of a robbery that went wrong.
One of Lagria’s sisters wept as she urged for whoever was responsible for the death of their youngest sister to surrender to authorities.
“Manawagan lang ta ko sa nanghilabot sa akong manghod nga unta, makonsensya unta ka ug magpakita ka nga imong gihilabtan akong manghod, mosurrender lang gyud unta ka,” stated Lagria’s older sister.
(I am calling on the person who attacked my sister that his conscience would bother him and he would show up to own up to the attack on my sister, you should surrender.)
“Para unta naay hustisya ang akong manghod kay bata pa gyud kay siya. Kamanghoran to namo. Tinuod, badlungon to ang akong manghod pero dili unta angayan, in anaon,” she added.
(But I hope that my sister would get justice because she is still young. She is the youngest. It’s true, my younger sister may have been at times naughty but no one should do that to her.)
Cañete assured that they would be investigating Lagria’s death in order to solve the case as soon as possible.
The city director added that there was no need for residents to be alarmed with this incident as the investigation was ongoing and there was a possibility that the crime was not committed in Cebu City.