The body of a septuagenarian doctor was found burned after a robbery inside her apartment unit in Silang, Cavite, last Wednesday, police said.

Dr. Engracia Angcanan Dela Cruz was discovered dead in her bedroom on the second floor of her unit at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Inspector Roland Mapili and Police Officer 1 Baldwin Cabidog of the Silang Municipal Police Station said Dela Cruz was choked and the lower body parts of her body burned.

The victim was found lying in bed with her upper body covered with clothes and pillow. A cabinet in the room was forcibly opened, an indication of robbery, the police officers said.

Dela Cruz, 71, single, a native of Meycauayan, Bulacan, was a former municipal health officer of Silang town. She owned the three-door apartment on Toledo Street in Barangay IV. Police said that they believed Dela Cruz was an “Akyat-Bahay” victim.

A window screen was found destroyed and glass jalousies detached on the first-floor of her two-story unit. There was no suspect yet on the gruesome incident, they said. Dela Cruz was alone in the house when the robbery took place.

“There may be more than one (suspect) involved in the incident,” the investigators said.

Scene of the Crime Office (SOCO) officers said they found no fingerprints in the unit, which only hinted that the culprits wore gloves or anything that covered their hands during the robbery.
Neighbors said they did not hear any struggle prior to the discovery of Dela Cruz’s body.

The amount of money and valuables taken from Dela Cruz's apartment has yet to be ascertained, the investigators said.

Nephews, nieces, and other relatives are seeking justice for Dela Cruz.

Superintendent Danilo B. Buentipo, Silang police chief, ordered a thorough investigation to identify those involved in the incident.