Abusive husband most likely suspect in killing Filipino domestic helper

Singapore — The State Coroner revealed that the Filipino domestic helper found dead last year along Tampines Road was possibly killed by her husband.

On Sept 6, 2018, 34-year-old Jonalyn Alvarez Raviz was discovered dead and decomposing in a field along Tampines Road.

According to State Coroner Kamala Ponnampalam, Raviz was found with a yellow strap around her neck with the other end tied to a tree.

Evidence showed that the yellow strap resembled the strap on her husband’s bag. Investigators found traces of Raviz’s blood on her husband’s jeans and sandals along with a taxi receipt in the husband’s dormitory.

Officials suspect foul play involved, citing the husband’s “unexplained” sudden departure from Singapore right after Raviz died along with reports that he was abusive towards Raviz, according to an initial report by Channel News Asia.

Raviz worked as a domestic helper for her employers in Pasir Ris since Oct 2016.

In 2015, she married her husband who had a job as a process maintenance worker and lived in a dormitory in Singapore.

According to her employer, Raviz reportedly expressed unhappiness about her marriage. She said that her husband was abusive, cheated on her on multiple occasions, and took all her salary.

Raviz wanted to leave her husband and go home to the Philippines, but her husband threatened to kill her if she made any move.

The couple was last seen together on the morning of Sept 2, 2018 boarding a bus towards Tampines Road. They alighted at the bus stop at 4:17 PM, but only the husband was seen leaving in a taxi at 4:52 PM.

The husband’s colleague reported that he was seen leaving the dormitory and carrying luggage after 6PM. The husband then went to a travel agency and booked a flight to Dhaka, Bangladesh.

He told no one any reason for leaving the country so suddenly.

Raviz’s employers filed a missing person report the same day, and the husband’s employers reported him missing when he did not show up for work the next day.

Officials are still on the hunt for the husband.

“In the circumstances, I find Ms Raviz’s death to be an unlawful killing, likely perpetrated by her husband,” the coroner said./TISG