A 73-year-old bedridden woman died after she was allegedly raped by her neighbor in Loay town on Friday, New Year’s Day.
According to Staff Sgt. Annalyn Taer of the Loay Police Station’s WCPD (Women’s and Children’s Protection Desk), the victim was sleeping on her bed when the suspect identified as Melchor Gonzales, 39, raped her at past 3 p.m. based on testimonies from two witnesses.
A neighbor of the victim, a minor, saw Gonzales as he headed towards the elderly woman’s home in Barangay Oriental and tried to stop him as he wanted to get a massage from the victim who was a masseuse before she was bedridden.
“Nakit-an sa silingan na nilabay ang suspect unya gipangutana asa paingon ug unsa iyang tuyo sa victim. Unya ingon siya na magpahilot daw siya, kay manghihilot ning biktima sauna kadtong lig-on pa ni, mao gi balibaran siya na dili na mo hilot kay nasakit na pero wa daw mo tuo nilahos didto,” said Taer.
The child then called her father who allegedly caught Gonzales in the act of raping the woman inside her home. This spooked Gonzales who immediately fled the area.
Taer said that the victim was still in stable condition after the rape incident but was no longer able to speak indicating that she may have been choked. She died several hours later in her home at past 8 p.m.
According to the Loay Municipal Health Office, the victim died of “probable asphyxia due to suffocation.”
Meanwhile, Gonzales was arrested at his family’s residence in Barangay Oriental by police during a hot pursuit operation.
“Dili ta makaingon kay di man ta doctor pero mura siya’g late og utok pero ga trabaho ni siya og construction, lain siya mo storya di masabtan. Di ta makaingon na 100 percent normal siya,” said Taer.
Gonzales is now detained at the Loay Police Station while authorities are set to file a rape charge against him today.
Authorities have also confirmed that the victim was indeed raped based on a medical report.
According to Taer, the senior victim had been living alone in her home and was only regularly fed and visited by her son who lived in the same village.
“Nag-inusara ra ni siya kay iyang mga bata minyo na pud, wa siyay ipon. Anhaon ra sa iyang anak na nahibilin, duol duol ra sila pero lawkonon,” she said.