Noted Australian yacht designer found dead in Benguet

(Updated 4:54 p.m.) A noted Australian naval architect was found dead Monday morning inside his residence in Itogon, Benguet, with clear evidence of foul play, police said Wednesday.   Joseph Allan Adams, 81, was found dead by his contract worker Jose Pallay sitting on a sofa in the living room with a hack wound on his left hand fingers, right palm and neck and a slit on his neck, according to Cordillera Regional Police Office (PRO-COR) Regional Director Chief Superintendent Benjamin Magalong. Initial investigation showed Pallay was about to ask for his payment for cleaning the vacant lot owned by the victim when he noticed that the main door was open and the lights were still on. He then entered the house and saw blood on the floor. Adams may have been killed between late Sunday and early Monday, Magalong said. He was declared dead by Dr. Oliver P. Guadana, municipal health officer of Itogon and brought to the Funerarya La Paz in Baguio City. Adams, who had been living in the Philippines for 10 years, made his mark as an acclaimed yacht designer in the 70's. His designs are well known in Australia. At the time of his death, he was living alone after separating from his third wife, a Filipino who now lives in Australia. Police were still investigating the motive for the killing and the identification of the suspect as of posting time. Investigators found no sign of forced entry on the Adams' residence, indicating that the suspect is probably known to the victim. It was also learned that prior to the incident, Adams let go of his house helper, Marilyn Pano, because he could no longer afford to pay her.   Pano reportedly said the victim was about to file a complaint against a certain Ritchi Doriano for allegedly failing to pay back his debt. Adams had also invested P35 million at the Mega Lopolice Properties Incorporation in Baguio City but received no money from the firm, according to Pano, who said Adams hired her just last June. — KBK, GMA News