BY CYRUS M. GARDE
BACOLOD City – Investigators ruled out foul play in the death of a woman and her three-year-old daughter at Room 20 of Pension Bacolod on 11th Street here.
The bodies were discovered past 12 noon on Friday.
The mother, 34-year-old Leah Segovia-Cañete, committed suicide, said Senior Police Officer 3 Arlene Torendon, acting head of the Bacolod City Police Office’s Women and Children Protection Desk.
Medico-legal officer of Bacolod City, Dr. Eli Cong autopsied the mother and her daughter, Hannah Kate.
The mother appeared to have killed her daughter before taking her own life.
The woman was found hanging from the bathroom’s ceiling. She used a nylon rope around her neck.
The daughter’s wrists were slashed.
Both mother and daughter were positively identified by Luz Segovia, mother of Leah.
Scene of the Crime Operatives of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office found a blade in the room. They believed it was used to slash the daughter’s wrists.
Mother and daughter entered the pension house at 6:40 p.m. on Thursday and were supposed to check out at 12 noon on Friday but failed.
The management opened the door using a duplicate key when no one answered the room boy if they wanted to extend their stay.
According to Segovia, her daughter had a nervous breakdown six months ago.
Last week, she said, Leah told her she had frequent headaches and could not sleep well.
Leah’s husband, Joebert was a security guard in Cavite. Yesterday, he returned to Bacolod City after having been informed of what happened.
The mother and daughter were staying at the house of Joebert’s parents in Barangay Lopez Jaena, Murcia town.
Both left Murcia around 5 p.m. on Thursday supposedly to buy milk. Joebert reportedly sent her P3,000 that day through money transfer./PN
