Murdered Tuguegarao student’s mother seeks justice, expresses grief on social media

PAMPANGA, Philippines – The mother of a college student, whose murder shocked Tuguegarao City early this week, took to social media to express her grief and call for justice.

The 21-year-old victim, Jasmin Grace Casali, was found dead on Tuesday morning, May 23, at a vacant lot in Annafunan East, a village next to Barangay Atulayan Norte where she had lived.

“It’s only now that I mustered enough courage to look at your photograph. I feel so sorry for you, my child. The person who did this to you is a beast! Such cruelty! The trial given to me is so painful. It feels like I don’t want to live anymore,” wrote the victim’s mother Riza in Filipino on her Facebook page.

She added, “The loss of a child brings immeasurable pain to a mother. My heart aches as I reflect upon the fact that she will no longer be here to playfully tease me. While I knew she had many friends, I was unaware of the extent to which she was cherished by everyone. The overwhelming outpouring of messages about Jasmin Grace shatters my heart.”

Tuguegarao City Mayor Maila Ting said the crime came as a shock because it was the first case in recent memory of a female, who had gone missing for two days, found murdered in the city. 

Ting said investigators found out that Casali was strangled.

“Our police are doing a follow-up, and looking into leads,” Ting told Rappler on Friday, May 26.

She announced a P50,000-reward for anyone with useful information that could help the police solve the murder case. 

Ting hinted at a breakthrough in the investigation “but we don’t want to disclose it yet because it might compromise the police work… I don’t want to give any conclusions yet until I have the final report from the police.”

Tuguegarao police spokesperson Captain Rosemarie Taguiam said Casali died of asphyxia by strangulation, and investigators have theorized that the string on the victim’s vape was used to kill her.

She said authorities became aware that Casali had gone missing after her mother sounded the alarm via Facebook on Monday, May 22. 

Upon seeing the post, Taguiam said the police immediately quickly initiated an investigation, searched, and talked to her friends and acquaintances for information. – Rappler.com