PUNTA GORDA, Toledo District, Mon. July 6, 2015–Juana Alberta Cowo, 29, who is originally from Independence village but was working in the Punta Gorda Labor Office, was found dead and decomposing in her apartment at the corner of King and Jose Maria Nunez Streets in Punta Gorda. Cowo, a mother of one, was found at about 8:30 Friday morning by family members who were looking for her after she had not answered her phone since Wednesday evening, and had not shown up for work on Thursday morning.
At the time she was living alone in her apartment.
Her ex-common-law husband, Alberto Coleman, 55, a bus driver of Hopeville, New Site, Punta Gorda Town, who became worried after his calls to her were not answered and she did not show up for work on Thursday, reported her missing on Thursday evening.
Cowo’s family in Independence, who became alarmed after they were informed that she was missing, went to Punta Gorda on Friday morning and began to make inquiries, and were shown her apartment.
Her uncle reported that as he went near the apartment, he saw houseflies by the window and the stench of rotting flesh became oppressive. The police were immediately called.
Police promptly went to the scene, and at about 8:15 on Friday morning, with the assistance of the Fire Department, they forcefully gained access into the apartment and found the body of Cowo, lying on the bedroom floor, partially decomposed. There were stab wound injuries to her head and neck.
A post-mortem exam was conducted on Cowo’s body Friday morning, and her death was certified to have been caused by hypovolemic shock as a consequence of exsanguinous hemorrhage which resulted from an injury to her left common carotid artery and sharp force injuries to the neck region consistent with stab wounds.
Police detained a man who they believe could be of assistance to the investigation, but he was released yesterday afternoon, due to insufficient evidence.
Cowo’s body was taken to her hometown of Independence, where she was buried yesterday by friends and family members.
Superintendent Simeon Alvarez reported that Coleman said that the last time he saw Cowo was at about 6:45 Wednesday evening, and afterwards, he was unsuccessful in trying to contact her by phone. So, at about 3:40 Thursday evening, he reported her missing.
The motive for the murder of the Labor Office worker is not yet known.
A family member said that Cowo’s body was bloody, and there was blood everywhere in the room where she was found, and that she apparently suffered before she died.