Ajuy officials raise P75T reward for killers of Aussie bizman
A cash reward of P75,000 has been raised to help solve the murder of an Australian businessman in Ajuy town in Iloilo.
Senior Supt. Ricardo de la Paz, Iloilo provincial police director, said the cash reward included P50,000 from the local government of Ajuy led by Mayor Juancho Alvarez and P25,000 from a group headed by provincial board member Jett Rojas.
The reward will be given to anyone who can give information leading to the arrest of the murderers of Werner Holz.
Holz, 70 and a retired policeman, died from at least 20 stab wounds after he fought with three robbers who entered his home in Barangay Pili in Ajuy town last January 6.
The robbers took around P1.2 million in cash and jewelry from a vault in the master's bedroom after killing Holz and tying up his Filipino wife Vivian Posadas-Holz.
Investigators earlier said that the robbers, armed with knives and handguns and wearing bonnets, entered the back door of the house which could have been left open by Holz after urinating outside their house around 12:30 a.m.
Investigators including the Iloilo Provincial Police Office, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the Regional Intelligence and Investigation Division of the Police Regional Office 6 are still gathering evidence and information on the case.
Dela Paz said they have identified probable suspects but refused to name them because this might hamper this investigation.
While robbery is the main motive being eyed in the murder, police are also pursuing other angles.
Dela Paz said they suspect that the robbers, an associate or guide could have been close with the family because those who robbed and killed Holz appeared familiar with the layout of the house and where the jewelry and cash were located.
Holz and his wife have been operating various businesses in the town for more than a decade.