MANILA, Philippines – The clan from which Kristelle “Kae” Davantes comes – once separated because of members having to work abroad – has always loved get-togethers.

They wonder now, however, how things will ever become “normal” again.

The mass they hear now, says her uncle Vince Davantes, is for Kae – the departed Kae.

“Di ba sa communion, may part na magha-hug, kiss ka? Parang kulang na sila ngayon,” he told Rappler. (During communions, isn’t there a part where you hug, kiss each other? There’s something missing now.)

Kae, a 25-year-old advertising executive, went missing after a night out with friends on Friday, September 6, at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.

Hours later, she was found dead – strangled, stabbed, but not sexually assaulted – under a bridge in Silang, Cavite.

Initial investigation, police says, indicates she met a very angry attacker. Kae’s belongings were not found. Her car has yet to be traced almost a week later.

Imagine the helplessness of her parents, who received the news in Saudi Arabia.

Bad news from Manila

Kae’s parents work in the Middle East. They met and fell in love while working in Saudi. Kae and her siblings – younger sister Lysette and younger brother Joshua – were born there, but they were sent home to the Philippines after a while.

In the hours between Kae’s disappearance and the discovery of her body, her father was constantly on the phone to get updates from Las Piñas, where the Davanteses live in the Philippines.

“Noong moments na may uncertainty pa, devastated na sila (Even before we could ascertain things, they were already devastated),” Vince said.

It got worse when they heard reports that a woman’s body was found in Cavite.

“’Yung kuya ko (Kae’s father), parang batang nakikiusap. They were so helpless. Na-feel ko how painful it was for them,” he said. (Her father was like a pleading child. They were so helpless, I could feel how painful it was for them.)

Kae’s parents arrived Tuesday, 3 days after they received confirmation that it was their daughter’s body that was found in Cavite.

Her work

It was ironic that her death would be the reason her parents came home.

As advertising executive for McCann, Kae was recognized for her contribution to a campaign to entice overseas Filipino workers to be home for Christmas.

According to Adobo Magazine, Kae was part of a team that won a Spikes Silver for McCann and Coca-Cola’s “The OFW Project.”

When she was stressed at work, she made it a point never to show it, her paternal uncle says. “Hindi mo siya nakikitaan na namomroblema.” (We never saw getting affected by concerns at work.)

How they want to remember

Kae grew up to be a “very nice lady” – simple, happy, and seemingly stress-free, says her uncle

“Hindi nga naghihikaw. Kung may makeup, light lang.” (She doesn’t wear earrings and when she wears make-up, it’s always light.)

In a closely-knit family, Vince Davantes feels like he lost a daughter himself. “Parang anak na rin namin yan,” he said. (She’s like a daughter to us.)

So while many people understandably think of Kae as a victim, her relatives would rather remember her for the baby that she was to them

“Pagpikit ko ng mata ko, nakikita ko na baby pa siya,” her uncle Vince says. (I’d close my eyes and I’d see her when she was still a baby.)

It was this picture of Kae that he kept seeing during the hours they were searching for her. “’Yung mata niya, bilog na bilog” (Oh her very round eyes.)

#JusticeforKae

That is why the family cannot understand why anybody would do such a brutal thing to their Kae. They want answers. “We’re still at a loss on the reason, the motive why it was done to her,” Vince says.

Vince said public and social media outcry over Kae’s death has been a source of comfort to the family. The hashtag #JusticeForKae and the Facebook page are giving them hope.

“We are hopeful because of the outpouring of support. We’re optimistic that we can attain justice. Hopefully someone out there can volunteer information,” he says.

But while the family seeks justice, they are also figuring out how things can be “normal” again.

“Ang laking nawala sa buhay nila,” Vince says of Kae’s siblings. “Parang naputulan sila.” (There’s a big loss in their lives, like parts of them have been cut off.) – Rappler.com