17-3-2024 (MANILA) A person of interest in the murder case involving a Japanese woman and her Filipino mother surrendered to the police on Friday, March 15, in Pio Duran, Albay, a municipality situated over 300 kilometers away from Manila. The individual in question, Ligaya Oliva Pajulas, is now in the custody of local law enforcement.
Ligaya Oliva Pajulas is the sister of the victim, Lorry Litada, and the aunt of Lorry’s daughter, Mai Motegi, aged 26. Police Major Darwin Sevilla, the Pio Duran police chief, revealed that Ligaya’s son, the nephew of the victims, sought assistance from the police and coordinated the surrender of his mother.
The grim discovery of Lorry and Mai’s bodies came to light when they were found buried in a shallow grave near Pajulas’ residence in the upscale Bella Vita Subdivision in Barangay Isabang on the afternoon of Thursday, March 14. Adding to the tragedy, it was reported that Lorry’s intended payment of ₱5 million, which was meant to secure a property they had purchased in the province, was missing.
Lorry Litada, who worked as an Overseas Filipino Worker in Japan, had been on vacation with Mai when they went missing on February 20. Following the victims’ disappearance, Ligaya and her husband Charlie had abruptly left their home on February 21, according to Police Lt. Col. Bonna Obmerga, the Tayabas police chief.
