US authorities probe death of Filipina in Colorado; husband arrested

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BACOLOD CITY — A 27-year-old Bacoleña, who was an alleged victim of domestic violence, died in Fort Lupton, Colorado in the United States.

The victim was identified as Russcel Recelistino, a human resource management graduate of La Consolacion College in Bacolod City.

Recelistino’s husband, Joseph Garza, was taken into police custody.

“On Nov. 27, 2019 at approximately 7:30 a.m., officers from the Fort Lupton Police Department, Fort Lupton Fire District and Banner Health Ambulance staff responded to an address in the 1200 block of 3rd Street in response to a medical call on an unresponsive person. Upon arrival officers found an unresponsive adult female. She was transported to the Northern Colorado Medical Center where she later died,” a police press release said.

“The cause of death is under investigation,” it added.

The victim’s mother Cely Recelistino, a former Negros Occidental provincial government cashier, said she learned about her daughter’s death from her employer at the Wholly Stromboli restaurant in Fort Lupton.

She said it was not clear yet how her daughter died.

Cely said her daughter and her husband lived with his parents in Fort Lupton. At the time that she was found unresponsive, only her husband was at home with her.

Recelistino’s remains will be subjected to an autopsy and a hearing is set within the week.

“Her employer assured me that he will attend the hearing and assist us in seeking justice,” Cely said.

She said Recelistino’s husband was a very jealous man.

“He would check her phone and social media account. My daughter complained she was not free. Her husband was jealous even of the people she worked with at the restaurant, but she was not doing anything wrong,” Cely said.

Recelistino went to the United States for an on-the-job training in Minnesota in 2015 and later moved to Colorado where she met her husband.

She was waiting for her green card but she could no longer stand her life with her husband and planned to return to the Philippines in January after she got her state tax refund, her mother said.

Cely said her daughter went to the United States because she wanted to help her family in the Philippines.

Recelistino’s father Russ who used to work at the laboratory of the Office of the Provincial Veterinarian of Negros Occidental, was diagnosed with fourth stage cancer and died in April 2019.

Cely said the last time she spoke to her daughter was on November 26 and “she told me she was okay.”

However, Cely said when she called again she could no longer reach her, and that was when they got in touch with her employer.

Edited by JPV