ILOILO — A grieving family is crying out for justice following the brutal murder of an elderly couple in Barangay Salngan, Passi City, Iloilo.
The victims — 82-year-old Opo Sobredo and his 62-year-old wife, Arceli — were found dead outside their residence on Sunday morning, July 5.
As of press time, Passi City police were tracking down the perpetrators and narrowing down the angles behind the double homicide. Following the initial processing of the crime scene, where investigators recovered two spent cartridges from a caliber .45 pistol, authorities were looking into three major motives: robbery, land dispute, and family feud.
Police believe that at least two to three suspects were involved in the killing.
Police Lieutenant Colonel German Magbanua III, chief of the Passi City Police Component Station, stated that the crime could not have been committed by a single individual.
Magbanua assured the public and the victims’ family that a thorough investigation is underway to arrest the suspects.
As the investigation progresses, the recently released autopsy results have shed light on the brutality of the attack, confirming the couple’s cause of death.
According to Magbanua, the medical examination revealed that Opo sustained a fatal gunshot wound to his back. Arceli sustained severe head trauma after being struck with a hard object, as well as a gunshot wound to her foot.
Based on the forensic findings and the nature of the injuries, investigators believe the perpetrators shot the husband first before turning on and assaulting his wife.
Described by relatives and neighbors as deeply kind-hearted and good people, the Sobredo couple’s sudden and violent deaths have shocked the local community./PN
