Churchgoers in Liloan, Cebu were shocked Friday night after a woman’s lifeless body was discovered inside the San Fernando El Rey Church, according to a report by ABS-CBN News.
Police Lt. Col. Dindo Alaras, chief of the Liloan Police Station, said the victim has yet to be identified but is believed to be around 30 years old. Investigators found blood coming from her nose, injuries to the back of her head, and dark marks on her neck.
Initial findings suggest the woman may have been physically assaulted before her death. “A candle vendor heard a woman screaming inside the church,” Alaras said in his report.
Witnesses told authorities that the victim entered the church with a man after the evening Mass. The pair were reportedly asked to leave when church staff began cleaning the premises.
The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead on arrival. Police are now reviewing CCTV footage and conducting a hot pursuit operation to locate the suspect.
Cebu Archbishop Alberto Uy has ordered the temporary closure of the San Fernando El Rey Parish Church following the crime. “I, as the Archbishop of Cebu, decree the temporary closure of the Parish Church of San Fernando Rey, Liloan,” Uy said in a statement, suspending all public worship “until proper canonical procedures are completed to ensure the reparation of the desecration and the restoration of the church’s dignity.”
In a separate statement, the parish expressed its condolences to the victim’s family and condemned the incident, saying, “We unite in prayer for the victim’s family as we condemn in the strongest terms this act of violence committed within the very house of God.”
