A 4-year-old girl was killed by hanging by her 22-year-old father, who later took his own life, in Barangay Pio Del Pilar, Makati City on Monday, January 13.
In a report by RH Noche Cacas, a barangay official mentioned that the father and daughter did not actually live in the house where the incident occurred. The father was asked by his sibling to look after the house as they were out of town.
"Itong victim [at] tatay, hindi naman sila dito nakatira. Pinabantay lang po nung kapatid dahil nag-bakasyon po 'yung pinaka-naupa sa bahay," the barangay official said in an exclusive interview with DZRH.
"Yun namang kapatid na nagbabantay, dinala niya nga po itong anak at doon po niya ginawa 'yung 'di magandang pangyayari na binigti niya po ang kanyang anak pati ang kanyang sarili," he added.
The barangay official further noted that the rescue team received a call around 1 p.m., detailing the incident.
However, according to the siblings who arrived, they were able to enter the house around 12:05 p.m. with the help of the caretaker of the rental property, and they found the father and daughter hanging side by side.
The family's concern reportedly began when the grandmother attempted to contact her son, as her granddaughter had school but was not responding. This raised suspicions, leading them to visit the apartment.
Meanwhile, the preliminary investigation by the Philippine National Police (PNP) revealed that the parents had been in conflict and had separated in November of the previous year.
Moreover, the child's mother promptly arrived at the scene of the incident and is now providing a statement to the investigators.
At this point, there is no indication from the investigation that the father was under the influence of illegal drugs when the crime occurred.
Operatives from the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) also arrived at the location to conduct the technical investigation regarding the incident.
