POLICE are eyeing robbery as the motive behind the slaying of a 40-year-old businesswoman whose decomposing body was found inside her rented room in Sampaloc, Manila, Sunday night.
Case investigator PO3 Ryan Balagtas said the body of Ria Chang, single, was already in early stage of decomposition when found at around 10 p.m., Sunday, inside her room on Lerma Street, Sampaloc. She was lying on her back, her hands tied up with an elastic rope; and a white cloth was found wrapped around her neck, an indication that she was strangled.
Police said the victim had been dead for two days at the time her body was discovered.
Prior to the discovery of the body, the victim’s neighbors said they smelled foul odor coming from Chang’s room.
Witness John Mark Belarmino said that he peeked through the victim’s room and saw her body. He notified the barangay authorities who broke the door’s padlock to enter the room.
The victim’s Vivo cellphone worth R10,000 and around R10,000 cash were missing, Raquel Balitustus, Chang’s sister, told police.
The victim was last seen closing her vending cart at about 10:15 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 5, her neighbors said.
According to Chang’s family, the victim had no known enemy.
Ma. Victoria Cobrador, chairwoman of Barangay 395, said the village’s closed circuit television (CCTV) installed near the place of incident has no recording device. (Erma Edera)
