CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Police tracker teams are pursuing a suspect who allegedly killed his co-boarder inside a boarding house on Valentine’s Day and left the room locked until the victim’s body was discovered Thursday evening in an early state of decomposition.

Authorities said a strong odor coming from Room 1 of a lodging house along Burgos Street in Barangay 7 prompted the caretaker to seek police assistance. Scene of the Crime Operatives later forced open the room and found the lifeless body of a woman with a hack wound on the neck and multiple injuries on other parts of her body.

The victim, a college student who occupied Room 12 of the same boarding house, was last seen alive on 14 February, according to the caretaker.

Investigators recovered a partially damaged butcher knife inside the room where the body was found.

Police identified the primary suspect as a fellow boarder occupying Room 1, who was last seen on Valentine’s Day. The suspect is reportedly a personnel of the City Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) and has not reported for work since last week.

Nick Jabagai, chief of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Department, said the suspect has gone into hiding.

Authorities are looking into a possible crime of passion as the motive behind the killing.

Police said manhunt operations are ongoing.