BUTUAN CITY – Police operatives successfully apprehended a triple homicide suspect in Surigao City involved in the brutal massacre of three individuals on Friday evening.
Surigao City Police Chief Lt. Col. Diomedes Cuadra Jr. revealed the identity of the suspect as Alejandro Ultado Cortes, a 20-year-old resident of Basilisa, Dinagat Islands, in an interview with RPN DXKS Surigao on Friday evening.
The shocking discovery of three lifeless bodies inside a residence in Sitio Looc, Barangay Luna, Surigao City, left the local community in dismay on Friday afternoon. The victims were identified as Mylene Golloso Virgen, 40, and her two children, John David, 13, and Mary Elizabeth, 9.
According to Cuadra, the surviving daughter of Mylene Virgen, whose identity is being protected, positively identified Cortes as the perpetrator of the crime. The daughter, who is in a relationship with the suspect, disclosed that Cortes became enraged upon learning that her mother opposed their affair due to her status as a minor.
Recounting the tragic events, the daughter explained that she and the suspect arrived at their residence in Sitio Looc on Thursday evening. Cortes, in a fit of rage, reportedly grabbed a bolo and brutally attacked her mother and the two children inside the house.
The surviving daughter managed to escape from their residence and sought refuge in a comfort room at the nearby Gawad Kalinga center in their community.
Cuadra stated, “The suspect is now under our custody as we are preparing for the filing of criminal charges against him through inquest proceedings.” He further noted that the suspect would be facing a murder case for the killing of the mother and two counts of murder in relation to Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act for the death of the two minors. (PNA)