A 31-year-old woman and her two children, aged nine and four, were found dead inside a silver multipurpose vehicle in a vacant lot in Barangay Talacsan, San Rafael, Bulacan, on Thursday afternoon.

The San Rafael Municipal Police Station said it received a report at about 2:11 p.m. about an apparently abandoned vehicle. Responding police officers and barangay officials found the three victims lifeless in the rear seat.

Police said the victims were residents of Baliwag City. Their identities have not been publicly released.

The children’s father reportedly last saw his family at about 5 p.m. on 19 August Relatives were later contacted as investigators worked to determine what happened.

The Philippine National Police Forensic Group and the San Rafael police’s Scene of the Crime Operations team processed the vehicle and surrounding area on Friday. Investigators were also reviewing closed-circuit television footage from the area.

Authorities had yet to determine the cause of death or establish a possible motive as of press time. The investigation remains ongoing.

Teen found dead in Davao Oriental

Meanwhile, a 19-year-old woman was found dead near a creek behind her residence in Sitio Bislong, Barangay Marayag, Lupon, Davao Oriental, on Thursday.

Mercilyn Saumat was found with a severe head injury. Authorities are investigating the possibility that she was struck with a rock or another hard object, although her cause of death had yet to be confirmed.

Initial investigation indicated that the incident may have occurred on 19 August, during the Araw sa Sitio Tiombocan celebration, when many residents were in a neighboring sitio.

Authorities were looking into the circumstances surrounding the incident but had yet to identify a suspect or establish a motive.