The Manila Police District (MPD) is pushing further its investigation on the case of a woman’s body found abandoned inside a box in Tondo, Manila, despite arresting three suspects on Tuesday afternoon.
Police investigators remain tight-lipped on the details surrounding the case and the three suspects are being questioned for their alleged involvement in the killing of the woman, known only by the alias “Jamie.”
Initial reports said that the victim’s body was discovered stuffed inside a balikbayan box, which was later thrown away by a J&T delivery rider last Saturday night.
The first arrest stemmed from CCTV footage reviewed by the Criminal Investigation Section chief P/Major Rommel Anicete and MPD Homicide chief P/Capt. Dennis Turla, where the identified J&T rider reportedly confessed and implicated two other suspects, including his girlfriend’s uncle who allegedly instructed him to dispose of the box.
The rider claimed he was on his way home from work when his girlfriend’s uncle called him, requesting him to throw away the box.
MPD director P/BGen. Arnold Thomas Ibay confirmed that investigations and interrogations are ongoing to determine if there are additional individuals involved in the woman’s death.
The motive for the killing remains unclear, with police investigating whether illegal drugs were a factor. All three suspects reportedly have a history of drug use.
Reports revealed that the victim’s body was bound with packing tape, her legs bent to fit inside the box. A wound on her neck suggests she may have been strangled. The woman was clad in a blue and white striped T-shirt, denim pants, and barefoot when stuffed into the box.
A tricycle driver named “Biboy” first noticed the box. Due to poor lighting, he enlisted the help of two bystanders, Edwin Balbin and Aries Aquino, to carry the heavy box onto his tricycle. Upon opening the box, they were horrified to discover a woman’s head and hair.
This prompted them to seek assistance from the Barangay 109 authorities, who then contacted the police.