FABIAÑA CASE: ‘Everybody is a suspect’

By: Jennifer P. Rendon

EXCEPT for the usual five Ws and an H, the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) has declined to publicly share information on the brutal killing of a 22-year old woman from Pavia, Iloilo.

Police Colonel Marlon Tayaba, Iloilo police chief, said they’re keeping the information with investigators to avoid jeopardizing the ongoing probe on the grisly death of Eira Jane Fabiaña.

When asked about persons of interests, Tayaba said, “for now, everybody is a suspect.”

On Thursday, July 18, a case conference was held at the IPPO headquarters in Camp Sumagaysay, Sta. Barbara town.

Tayaba said they will mobilize other units to conduct investigation and interviews with persons who might be able to shed light on Fabiaña’s death.

He said he has yet to go through the result of the autopsy on the victim’s remains.

“What we learned is the possible object used in striking her head,” Tayaba said.

The victim suffered six injuries after her head was struck with a hard object. But the victim was not sexually molested.

Other than that, the Iloilo police chief was tight-lipped on what was discussed during the case conference.

Tayaba also declined to divulge if the victim was sexually molested or not.

Fabiaña’s body was discovered by her older brother around 4:45 a.m. of July 17 at their family’s home in Purok IV, Pavia, Iloilo.

The victim, an assistant manager of a fast-food chain, was lying on her back on top of her bed with blood oozing from her head.

The victim was half naked when found.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Hilarion Roga, chief of the Regional Crime Laboratory’s scene of the crime operatives (SOCO) team, said they saw no signs of forcible entry in the crime scene.

Not a single fingerprint was lifted from the crime scene. They, however, took some pubic hair and hair strands.

Roga said they could not determine if the victim was sexually molested.

“It appeared that she was struck forcefully on the back of her head,” Roga said.

The blow may have been very forceful that the victim’s blood was splattered on the wall of her bedroom.

Roga said the victim may have been lying on the left side of her body when attacked.