A 73-year-old woman was reportedly raped and murdered early Saturday morning in a remote area of Barangay Mabini, El Nido, by a suspect who was later arrested after leaving his cellphone at the crime scene.
A spot report provided by the Palawan Police Provincial Office (PPO) through its spokesperson, P/Maj. Ric Ramos, indicated that the victim, who died from a traumatic head injury, was a widow who resided in the same barangay.
Authorities identified Rolly Cabalda Ultra, with whom she was heard conversing about 9 p.m. on May 13, as her alleged assailant.
The elderly victim’s daughter, who was searching for her, discovered her dead without lower clothing in a bushy area of the Mabini Catholic Church at 2:00 a.m. on May 14, according to investigations by the El Nido Municipal Police Station (MPS).
The police report stated that a postmortem examination conducted on her showed that she was raped and died from a severe head injury.
El Nido MPS personnel engaged in a manhunt and hot pursuit that culminated in the suspect’s apprehension.
Ultra, who denied committing the crime but admitted to being the owner of the cellphone, has been taken into custody by the El Nido MPS for further investigation and proper disposition as of this writing.
