Woman Found Dead in Refrigerator in the Philippines; Police Name Her Partner a Person of Interest
Woman Found Dead in Refrigerator in the Philippines
Police in the Philippines are investigating the death of a woman whose body was found inside a refrigerator in her apartment in Rodriguez, a municipality in Rizal province, after her landlord noticed a foul odor and called authorities on Sept. 16.
The woman’s partner has been named a person of interest and is in custody, according to police. The case remains under investigation, and authorities have not announced formal charges in her death.
Father Identifies Remains After Police Appeal
Rodriguez Municipal Police posted a photo of the unidentified woman on Facebook on Wednesday, Sept. 16, along with a description of her appearance. Police said she appeared to be between 25 and 30 years old.
Soon after, the victim’s father positively identified her remains after police shared the photos, authorities said in an update on Friday, Sept. 18, according to local outlets ABS-CBN, The Manila Times and PhilStar. Authorities have not yet released the victim’s name.
A Philippine National Police post asked for information on the woman found dead. Credit: PNP Rodriguez Municipal Police Station
Landlord Called Police After Smelling Odor
Her body was found after the landlord smelled a foul odor coming from the apartment and called police, The Manila Times reported. The landlord had previously tried to contact the tenants on Sept. 10 to get them to sign a lease, but no one responded, according to the outlet.
Partner Named Person of Interest
Col. Allen Rae Co, a spokesman for the Philippine National Police, told reporters during a press briefing that investigators identified the woman’s partner as a person of interest and that he was in custody, according to the outlets.
“The person of interest has an arrest warrant for serious illegal detention,” Co said, per PhilStar.
“The deceased just returned home after posting bail — she’s facing the same case as the person of interest,” Co added, according to The Manila Times and ABS-CBN.
Money May Be a Motive, Police Say
Co also said money may have been a motive, as the victim’s father told police that his daughter was carrying a large amount of money at the time, the outlet reported.
“The woman allegedly has money, according to the father, so most likely, they fought over the money or something,” Co said.
Signs of Strangulation, Delayed Discovery
Authorities said the woman had visible strangulation marks and estimated that she had been dead for six to seven days before the landlord discovered her, according to PhilStar.
Investigators believe the suspect may have placed the woman in the refrigerator to delay the decomposition of her body and to give himself more time to escape from police, the outlet reported.
The case highlights how quickly disputes can escalate and how concealment can complicate efforts to determine what happened. It also underscores the role that landlords, neighbors and timely police appeals can play in identifying victims and gathering evidence.
PEOPLE has reached out to the Philippine National Police for comment. The incident is still under investigation.