U.S. Embassy assists in probe of American’s killing in Dumaguete

The U.S. Embassy in Manila has authorized an autopsy on 72-year-old American citizen Mark Duell, who was shot dead along with his 71-year-old Filipina wife, Elsie Duell, inside their rented home in Barangay Bajumpandan, Dumaguete City, as police investigate robbery with homicide as a possible motive.

Capt. Stephen Polinar, spokesperson for the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office, said the embassy issued the necessary certification after Duell's brother consented to the procedure. Elsie Duell had already undergone an autopsy.

The couple was gunned down early Wednesday, Sept. 2, inside their residence in Purok Katubhan, Barangay Bajumpandan. Investigators recovered slugs and spent shells from a .45-caliber firearm and are awaiting ballistic examination results to determine whether the same weapon was used to kill both victims.

Police initially believe that at least two suspects may have participated in the attack, although the couple's 53-year-old caretaker told investigators she saw only one armed man.

According to investigators, the caretaker was allegedly held at gunpoint and tied up inside the maid's quarters before the attackers proceeded to the main portion of the house.

Authorities are investigating robbery with homicide after approximately P60,000 in cash, gold jewelry and other valuables were reported missing.

Police said the information about the missing property came from Elsie's family, who told investigators that Mark normally carried cash in his pocket and also kept money in a drawer.

The Special Investigation Task Group Duell is now reviewing evidence and appealing to residents in the neighborhood to turn over any CCTV or security-camera footage that may have captured the suspects before or after the killings. The Duells' residence did not have its own CCTV camera.

Duell's death brings to at least five the number of U.S. citizens publicly reported killed in violent incidents in the Philippines so far in 2026, based on cases reported by Philippine authorities and major news organizations. The figure is not an official consolidated nationwide tally, and other cases may not have been publicly reported.

Among those cases was a 35-year-old American citizen who was robbed and shot dead in Teresa, Rizal, on July 10. Police said two motorcycle-riding suspects targeted the victim for his jewelry before one of them shot him at close range.

Two days later, renowned American marine biologist Dr. Kent Carpenter, 73, was shot dead during a home invasion in Barangay Ajong, Sibulan, Negros Oriental. Police later arrested several suspects and said evidence pointed to a planned robbery.

Earlier in the year, two U.S. citizens, Lyle Prijoles and Kai Dana-Rene Sorem, were among 19 people killed during an April 19 armed clash between government forces and alleged New People's Army members in Toboso, Negros Occidental, according to Philippine authorities.

Those cases, together with Duell's killing, account for at least five American fatalities from violent incidents this year four of them on Negros Island. The circumstances, however, are different and authorities have made no indication that the cases are connected.

The U.S. State Department currently advises Americans to exercise increased caution in the Philippines because of crime, terrorism, unrest and kidnapping, while assigning higher warning levels to certain parts of the country.

The State Department publishes statistics on non-natural deaths of U.S. citizens overseas, but those records are updated periodically rather than providing a real-time count of Americans killed in a particular country.