Family of 5 found dead in condo

MANILA, Philippines - Five members of a Filipino-Taiwanese family were found dead inside their condominium unit in Greenhills, San Juan yesterday morning in what police said was a case of mass suicide.

Luis Hsieh, 53, a native of Taiwan; his Filipina wife Roxanne and their children Amanda, 18; Jeffrey 13; and John, 12; were found lifeless by police officers in the master’s bedroom of the family’s unit at the Midland Park Manor Condominium along Ortigas Avenue at about 9:30 a.m. , San Juan police chief Senior Superintendent Ariel Arcinas said.

The couple’s heads and those of their children were wrapped in transparent plastic when police officers found them, he added.

A letter supposedly written by one of the family members and addressed to their neighbor Grace Tan Chua had asked that their bodies be immediately cremated, police said.

According to Arcinas, there are indicators that family had indeed committed mass suicide.

“The door of the master’s bedroom was not locked,” Arcinas said. This could mean that the family members wanted their bodies to be immediately found, he said.

Some reports state that the deaths may have been a case of murder-suicide.

Arcinas added that initial questioning of the family’s housemaid of four years revealed that Luis and Roxanne had been taking sleeping pills.

He said it is possible that the family members committed suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills and then wrapping their heads in plastic to make sure that they stop breathing as they start to lose consciousness.

“The housemaid told us that Roxanne had instructed her to prepare dinner for Amanda last night. Roxanne told her to leave the food at the master’s bedroom,” said Arcinas.

Arcinas said they are looking for the leftovers for laboratory examination.

The housemaid also found it strange that Roxanne had paid her month’s salary in full Friday night, he added.