The more we know about the events surrounding the death of Edgel Joy Durolfo — the 26- year-old VIP Premium Services assistant of Solaire Resort & Casino in Parañaque City — the more questions we have.
READ: Woman dies after allegedly being beaten up by boyfriend, 3 others in room at Solaire’s Sky Tower
Trouble at the Sky Tower
Initial reports claimed that in the early hours of Fri, Feb 26, Durolfo was allegedly drugged and then beaten up by her boyfriend Rodney Ynchausti and three others inside Room 812 of the Solaire Sky Tower along Aseana Boulevard in Barangay Tambo, Parañaque City.
Ynchuasti and the three other suspects — identified as Paul Egoc, Molo Hwang, and Beah Lim — then took Durolfo to the hotel clinic. But, by then, she had slipped into a coma. They then took her to the San Juan De Dios Hospital, where Durolfo was declared dead.
Authorities said Durolfo’s parents actually ran into Ynchausti at the hospital. They said that he apologized to them before he presumably left with his three companions. A police report later also noted that, like Durolfo, Ynchausti and his three companions were also employees of Solaire.
Later, the autopsy on the remains of Durolfo revealed that she died from asphyxia through manual strangulation. For the record, the offficial cause of death stated on her death certificate is “asphyxia by strangulation.” This disproved the speculation that she had died from a drug overdose. Her parents also pointed out that their daughter was “badly bruised” when she was brought to the hospital.
On Wed, Mar 2, on the same day that Durolfo’s remains were laid to rest at Heaven’s Gate Garden in Antipolo City, her mother Evangel filed a murder complaint with the Parañaque City Police against Ynchausti, Hwang, Lim, and Egoc.
On Thu, Mar 3, James Tiu, a friend of Durolfo and the family’s spokesperson, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer: “We want (justice). (Evangel) hopes that charges will be filed against those who (should be held liable for her daughter’s death). She believes the four have something to do with (her daughter’s) death.”
Rodney Ynchuasti’s story
A GMA News Online story cited the affidavit that Ynchausti submitted through his lawyer.
In it, he disclosed it was Durolfo who had Room 812 reserved for their party. He recalled that he and Durolfo arrived at the place at around 9pm on Thu, Feb 25. Their friends had not yet arrived at that time. Ynchausti claimed that both he and Durolfo then took the illegal recreational drug Ecstacy.
The medic and the security guard’s accounts
In a joint affidavit, Annabelle Fajardo, Solaire’s in-house medic, noted that Durolfo was brought in at 4:10am on Thu, Feb 26. “Fajardo narrated how Ynchausti requested for assistance in attending to Durolfo. She said Ynchausti ‘was sarcastic in his behavior’ in stating his request,” reports Rie Takumi on GMA News Online.
Fajardo said, “[The] companion of the patient identified later as Rodney Ynchausti was sarcastic in his behavior [and] insisted [that they themselves should bring] the patient to the hospital but I insist in helping them being our duty with regards to patient medical assistance.”
Solaire security guard Renato Borromeo Jr. also related in the joint affidavit: “[They] sought my assistance regarding their unconscious companion. I assisted them when they requested for a wheelchair but later on my companion EMT/medic Annabelle Fajardo arrived and suggest[ed] to use a spine board.”
Fajardo went on to observe: “Upon my assessment to the patient, I overheard one of their male companion uttered, ‘Ano, buhay pa, buhay pa (What, she’s still alive, still alive)'”
Fajardo also confirmed that she noticed the bruises in the right hand and other body parts of Durolfo.
Police are continuing the investigation and, at the same time, are trying to track down Ynchausti and his companions.
