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John Unson - Philstar.com
June 29, 2026 | 4:25pm
The slain Dumaltes were found sprawled on the floor of their house, all with multiple hack and stab wounds.
Photo courtesy of Philstar.com / John Unson
Content warning: Graphic violence
COTABATO CITY — A mother and her three children were found lifeless by neighbors, with multiple hack and stab wounds on different parts of their bodies, on the floor of their house in Barangay Litapan in Josefina, Zamboanga del Sur on Monday morning, June 29.
Local executives and police investigators from the Josefina Municipal Police Station told reporters at noon Monday that Arlene Fernan Dumalte, 42, her daughters aged 16, 14 and her 11-year-old son, were found dead by neighbors, lying far from each other on the floor of their house in the isolated Purok 5 in Barangay Litapan.
Their house is located at a spot near land owned by Inter Faith Academy Foundation Incorporated in Purok 5 in Barangay Litapan, according to local officials.
The first to discover what police officials described as the apparent murder of the victims was Alejo Indangan, a barangay councilor in Litapan. He was passing by the victims' house on his way to his farm and noticed that it was unusually silent inside.
Indangan called for help when he noticed a blood-stained hand protruding from a large cut in the wall of the Dumaltes' house. He and neighbors forced their way in and found the victims sprawled on the floor, all dead.
Barangay officials had reported to their municipal police that they last saw Dumalte, her two daughters and son walking together on Saturday night on their way home.
Indangan said Dumalte and her children even stayed for a while in their yard and used his commercial Wi-Fi service before they went home.
Barangay officials and police investigators have initially theorized that at least three to four men armed with knives and machetes may have perpetrated the brutal killing of the Dumaltes, possibly late Saturday or on Sunday.
