American, Pinay wife shot at close range in Dumaguete home

A chilling double murder in Dumaguete City has taken a more disturbing turn after autopsy results revealed that an American national and his Filipina wife were each shot once at close range inside their rented home.

The victims, Mark Duell, 72, an American citizen, and his 71-year-old Filipina wife, Elsie Duell, were killed inside their residence in Purok Katubhan, Barangay Bajumpandan, on Sept. 2.

Police said the autopsy confirmed that both victims suffered single fatal gunshot wounds fired at close range, correcting earlier reports that the couple had been shot multiple times.

Now, investigators are pinning their hopes on ballistic evidence for a major break in the case.

Spent cartridge cases, slugs and other evidence linked to a .45-caliber firearm were recovered from the crime scene. Police are cross-checking the ballistic findings to determine whether the same weapon may have been used in other crimes.

Investigators believe at least two suspects may have taken part in the attack, but no one has been publicly identified or arrested so far.

Police are also looking closely at robbery with homicide as a possible motive, amid reports that valuables were missing from the residence. Authorities, however, have not yet ruled out other angles.

The hunt for the killers has been complicated by the fact that the Duells’ home reportedly had no CCTV cameras. Investigators are now scouring nearby security footage and questioning residents in hopes of spotting suspicious people or vehicles seen around the time of the killing.

With the suspects still at large, police are racing to determine whether the couple was deliberately targeted or brutally killed during a robbery gone deadly.