A woman hacked to death her 8-month-old nephew with a sugarcane cutter in Purok Pepsi Zone 2, Brgy. Bata in Bacolod City, at about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Senior Insp. Dianne Grace Aquitania, the new chief of the City Women and Children’s Complaints Desk, identified the fatality as Sebastian Salgo III.

Aquitania said the baby sustained wounds on his face and head and was brought to the Dr. Pablo O. Torre Memorial Hospital but was declared dead on arrival at about 3:15 p.m., by attending physician Ian Noel Jarabas.

WCCD investigation showed that the suspect, Ma. Shiela Salgo, 44, who is claimed by her family to be mentally unstable, took a 21-inch long sugarcane cutter, and used it in hacking the baby three times on the head.

The baby’s grandfather, Sebastian Salgo Sr., told the police that he had only gone out for a while and when he returned, his two other minor grandchildren told him what happened.

At the house, the older Salgo said, he saw Ma. Shiela holding the cutter and his grandson bathed in his blood.

Policemen recovered the sugarcane cutter still with bloodstains.

Aquitania said baby Sebastian’s parents were out working during the incident.

The family also told the police that there had been times that the suspect tried to choke the victim.

An old grudge within the family is being eyed by the police as the motive in the killing, Aquitania said.

Although Ma. Shiela is allegedly mentally ill, she is now detained at the lock-up cell of Station 3 because her victim died, Aquitania said, adding that, “Even if we say that it is a family problem, the incident is too aggravating.”

Aquitania said charges for murder are being readied for filing against Ma. Shiela, before the Bacolod City Prosecutor’s Office, and it is up to the suspect to prove in court that she is mentally unstable.

She said they cannot file infanticide charges against the suspect because the victim was already more than three days old.*SGG

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