Puerto Rico’s Criminal Investigations Corps (CIC) in Guayama is awaiting a report from the Institute of Forensic Sciences (ICF) to establish the cause of death of Hilda Milagros Meléndez Morales, 64, and Raúl Gely Rodríguez, 60, whose bodies were found on August 24 inside a home in the San Martín neighborhood of Patillas. Lt. Edwin Godén Crespo, CIC Guayama’s assistant director, said the deaths are being investigated as a possible femicide-suicide, noting several knives were found at the scene and may indicate the cause of death.
He said the couple, who lived together for 12 years with no children in common, had no prior domestic violence complaints or Law 54 filings, and neither had a police record. Investigators are interviewing neighbors, gathering evidence, and reviewing home security camera footage to determine a motive. Meléndez Morales was a retired school cafeteria worker; Gely Rodríguez traveled periodically to the U.S. for unspecified work.
Meléndez Morales’s daughters, who live in the U.S., raised the alarm on August 24 after failing to reach her, prompting relatives in Puerto Rico to go to the home and discover the bodies. The CIC Guayama Homicide Division continues the investigation.