Filipina Domestic Worker Found Dead With Stab Wounds in Saudi Arabia
A 32-year-old Filipina domestic worker—who was supposed to go home this month upon her contract’s expiry—died in Saudi Arabia. Her body was reportedly found with multiple stab wounds, but the exact cause of her death remained unknown, according to Philippine authorities and local media reports.
Investigations are now underway, with top officials calling for a Senate probe to ensure justice will be delivered and strengthen the protection of migrant workers.
The domestic worker, identified as Marjorette Garcia, was last able to speak to her family on September 14, according to a CNN report quoting her sister. “She seemed happy,” she said.
“Then we lost contact with her the following day,” Garcia’s sister said, adding that they started worrying after three days of not hearing from her. The family asked her friends and sought answers from social media.
Last week, the Garcia family learned of the tragedy. They were shocked as they found out that Marjorette was already in the morgue by September 27, media reports added. However, no one was sure what exactly happened to the overseas Filipino worker (OFW).
“We were told she was stabbed, but we really do not know,” another relative told local media in Filipino.
The country’s Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) confirmed Marjorette’s death on Monday and vowed to provide all the necessary assistance to her family.
“The DMW through its Migrant Workers Office in Al Khobar Saudi Arabia (MWO-Al Khobar) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration are working in coordination with the Philippine Embassy as well as local police authorities in an ongoing investigation into the circumstances behind OFW Marjorette’s death,” the DMW said.
Both Philippine and Saudi authorities are working together on investigations. A suspect was reportedly caught, but the police were yet to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident, according to local media.
A government official told reporters on Tuesday that the unnamed suspect “is not a Filipino”.
“It appears that the suspect is her co-worker, but we are still waiting for the results of the investigation. Once the investigation is over, Saudi Arabia will work on the documentation so her remains can be repatriated back to the Philippines,” according to a GMA News report quoting Paul Raymund Cortes, assistant secretary at the Department of Foreign Affairs.
