ILOILO City — An 89-year-old widow was killed and robbed inside her home in La Paz district.
A man dragged her back into the house, stomped on her, and stole cash and valuables before fleeing, police said.
Police identified the victim as Virginia Inayan Jacildo, a resident of Ledesco Village, Barangay Tabuc Suba, La Paz, while the suspect was identified as Jerry Monahan Lima, alias “Pablo,” a resident of Barangay Najus-an, Mambusao, Capiz but temporarily residing in Barangay Guihaman, Leganes, Iloilo and who remains the subject of an intensive manhunt by the Iloilo City Police Station 2.
Investigators said the attack happened Sunday morning, May 24.
Security cameras in the victim’s house recorded the suspect entering between 8:05 a.m. and 8:39 a.m. He claimed to be interested in buying construction materials from the family’s business.
“Based on our investigation, nagpakuno-kuno siya nga customer kag nagsulod sa balay para mag-transact sang construction materials. The victim was entertaining him and was about to leave for their construction supply business in Barangay Bito-on, Jaro district when the attack happened,” said Police Captain Gimel Acuesta, officer-in-charge of La Paz Police Station.
Police said security camera footage showed the suspect suddenly grabbing the elderly woman by the arm as she was already heading toward the doorway, before forcibly dragging her back inside the house.
“Sang natumba ang tigulang sa kusina, gintapak-tapak pa siya sang suspect antes niya gindala sa kwarto,” Acuesta said.
Authorities reviewing the footage also reportedly saw the suspect taking cash from the victim’s bag and removing her wristwatch before pocketing it.
“This strongly supports our working theory that robbery was one of the motives,” Acuesta said.
The crime was uncovered after the victim’s son, a nurse based in the United States, remotely checked the home’s closed circuit television system and noticed his mother was no longer moving.
“He reviewed the footage and saw the entire sequence — from the suspect entering the house to the physical assault,” Acuesta said.
Alarmed, the son contacted relatives in Iloilo to check on the victim.
When the victim’s nephew arrived at the house, Jacildo was already dead.
Police said the victim’s body would undergo autopsy to determine the exact cause of death and establish whether blunt force trauma or other injuries directly caused her death.
Acuesta disclosed that the suspect had only recently been released from detention after serving time for an illegal gambling case in Leganes, Iloilo.
“May impormasyon man kita nga posible nagagamit siya sang illegal drugs, and this is part of our background investigation,” Acuesta said.
Investigators are pursuing robbery and personal grudge as possible motives behind the killing.
“There are indications nga may previous employment siya sa property sang pamilya sang biktima kag ginpahalin siya. So we are not ruling out personal resentment as another possible motive aside from robbery,” Acuesta said.
Police said robbery with homicide charges are being prepared pending the release of the autopsy and Scene of the Crime Operatives findings.
“We are calling on the suspect’s family to help us locate him and encourage him to surrender before we are forced to arrest him,” Acuesta said.
Investigators also noted that the victim was usually accompanied by a household helper from Monday to Saturday, but was left alone every Sunday when the helper went home.
“That may have been taken advantage of by the suspect. It appears he knew the victim’s routine,” Acuesta said.
The La Paz police continue follow-up operations to track the suspect’s whereabouts./PN
