THE Dagupan Police now consider the slaying of a Filipino-American woman and her maid in Barangay Lasip Chico in the early morning of March 15 as solved with the arrest of the former driver of the victim the next day.

The victims in the gruesome murder were Rosalina Esteves, 68, and her maid, Lorraine Cawid, 39, a resident of Mangaldan town, whose respective bodies were found dead by a construction worker, Jonathan Samudio.

Cawid was found sprawled and half-naked in the ground floor of a house of Esteves being constructed and was suspected to have been raped by the suspect. Esteves was found dead in in her bed with her face covered by a bed sheet.

Both victims were believed hit by a blunt instrument.

Robbery was ruled out by the police as motive of the double murder because the money, jewelry and other belongings of Esteves were reportedly intact  

After interviewing neighbors of the victims, members of the Special Investigation Task Group formed by Lt. Colonel Jandale Sulit, chief of police of Dagupan, arrested one Elmer Basmayor, a dismissed driver of Esteves who had an ax to grind against the woman. 

Besides, there were witnesses who told the police they saw Basmayor near the premises of the Esteves at about the time the two women were murdered at dawn of March 15

Investigators believe that the suspect gained entrance to the premises by scaling the back of the house. and entered the maid’s quarter where Cawid was sleeping and killed her.

Afterwards, he entered the room of Esteves and killed her too.

Eight workers of the house of Esteves being constructed were earlier questioned by the police in connection with the slaying till a witness confirmed seeing Basmayor in the site. (Leonardo Micua with reports from Jojo Riñoza)      

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