Police in Ireland suspect that a Filipino student was murdered shortly after she was abducted from her home south of Dublin on Saturday.
The body of Jastine Valdez, 24, an accountancy student, was found in Dublin on Monday.
Valdez was reportedly kidnapped by a 40-year-old local man named Mark Hennessy when she left her home in Wicklow County on Saturday, the Philippine Star reported.
The Filipina was last seen by witnesses being dragged into a black car.
A huge manhunt was organized, and on Sunday police tracked down the car and tried to arrest Hennessy. However, he was shot dead after trying to stab a police officer.
On Monday, authorities found Valdez’s body in South County Dublin. Police said they believe Valdez was killed after she was kidnapped.
But they have yet to establish a motive for the killing.
In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the Philippine Embassy in London and the Honorary Consulate in Dublin would contact Valdez’s family to offer any assistance that they can extend.
“We grieve with the loved ones of Jastine Valdez, someone so young and so full of promise, who was suddenly taken away from them,” Foreign Affairs secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said.
The Filipino community in Dublin held a prayer service for Valdez on Monday, and another service was due to be held in Wicklow today (Wed May 23).