A United States marine had been detained on Sunday on board the amphibious war ship Peleliu for the murder of a Filipino transgender woman in Olongapo City.

The arrest of the unnamed Marine occurred after the lifeless body of Jeffrey "Jennifer" Laude, a 26-year-old transgender woman, had been discovered on Saturday inside a room at the Celzone Lodge.

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According to responding officers, Laude's body had been found unclothed and lifeless inside the motel's bathroom. Only a blanket was used to conceal the body.

An examination of the body conducted by the Olongapo police revealed that the neck of "Jennifer" had been pressed down on the toilet seat. Her head had possibly been pushed into the bowl itself.

In accordance with a CCTV footage obtained from one of the bars in the city, Laude had been in the company of four male foreigners. A statement from one of the victim's friends claimed that the men went to hang out with them in the bar on the night of Oct. 11.

 Laude was then seen leaving the area and allegedly checked in at the Celzone Lodge with one of the foreigners. Authorities who search the room where Laude's body was found discovered two used condoms thrown in the garbage can.

The foreigner seen going out the bar with Laude was then spotted leaving the motel room at roughly 11:45 p.m.

Laude's body had been discovered by the motel staff who went in to clean the room.

Authorities disclosed that no indicators of a struggle had been found. In addition, all belongings of Laude were all accounted for.

At present, local authorities are working with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service to investigate potential evidence and information further linking the suspect, who was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Apart from the unnamed Marine, three other men are under custody as they could serve as possible witnesses to the slaying.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the Marine's unit is located in Pampanga, which he occupied for the duration of the Philippines-U.S. Amphibious Landing Exercise (PHIBLEX) 15-a training event held yearly. Sources shared that the training had ended last week.

Tagstransgender, Navy, Marine, Filipino, Olongapo, Peleliu, motel, Murder, slay, killing, hate crime, Celzone Lodge, Jeffrey Laude, Jennifer Laude