A 29-year-old woman believed to have been sexually abused, was found dead inside her house Monday evening in Malabon City.
Immediate follow-up operations by the police resulting in the suspect’s arrest.
Malabon police chief Col. Albert Barot said the half-naked and blood-soaked body of Lovely Ann Villagomez was discovered by her boyfriend, Kevin Louie Lim, at around 6:30 p.m. inside the victim’s house at 12 A. Cruz St. Brgy. Baritan.
Lim told police that he went to Villagomez’s home when she failed to answer his calls and text messages. He said he saw her slumped on the floor in a pool of blood when he peeped through the door.
Malabon City Mayor Jeannie Sandoval, who personally went to the area to convey her sympathy to the victim’s family condemned the killing and asked authorities to conduct immediate investigation and see to it that the culprit be brought to justice.
That same evening, joint elements of the Malabon police and the Northern District Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) positively identified the suspect as Jaemark Reyes, 26, of 30 Pantihan 2 Naval St., Brgy. Flores, Malabon City after he was seen on the close circuit television (CCTV) camera installed in the area entering the house of the victim at around 1 p.m. wearing black t-shirt and carrying a black sport bag. An hour later, Reyes was seen leaving the place wearing yellow t-shirt.
CIDG operatives led by MSgt. Roberto Borromeo were able to trace the driver of an e-bike hired by Reyes in going home, and said he noticed that the right eye of his passenger was bleeding, indicating that the victim might have fought back against the perpetrator.
Acting on information by the bike driver, the police went to Reyes’ house, but he had reportedly left for Malolos City where his grandfather lives.
Reyes’ relatives told the police that he had admitted having killed someone, and ask for money to go to Malolos where the investigators eventually arrested him.