Security guard killed at MHS

A security guard was found dead yesterday morning at Marianas High School in Susupe where several classrooms were burglarized.

The incident, which police have classified as a homicide, prompted the Public School System to suspend classes to prevent students from going inside the campus. Classes remain suspended today.

The victim was found lying in a pool of blood along the hallway near the parking lot.

Acting Department of Public Safety spokesperson Jason Tarkong said the fatality was a 45-year-old Filipino security guard. He refused to release the victim’s identity pending notification of the nearest kin.

Sources, however, identified the victim as Efren Ballesteros, an employee of Global Security Agency.

As of 4pm yesterday, no arrests have been made yet, but investigators are said to be following leads.

To his knowledge, Tarkong said, this is the first homicide case this year in the CNMI and is also the first homicide inside a school campus.

Tarkong said the victim was pronounced dead upon arrival at the Commonwealth Health Center.

He said a person had called 911 at 6:13am yesterday, reporting a possible dead person at the MHS campus.

“Police arrived and they found a Filipino security guard, 45, with no pulse and no breathing. He was [pronounced] dead upon arrival [at the hospital],” Tarkong said.

Based on the preliminary investigation, the victim died possibly due to blunt trauma, he said. “I can’t go into the details of that,” he added.

In addition, Tarkong said several classrooms were burglarized. He declined to specify what items were taken.

He said investigators believe that the killing and the burglary were related.

“They [investigators] are still processing the scene. The school was closed as a result of that,” Tarkong said.

“If you look at the perimeter of the school it’s a large campus. So we are trying to look for any possible evidence,” he added.

Tarkong said he was not aware if any murder weapon was recovered from the scene.

He said the school would remain closed until further notice, adding that the first 48 hours of a homicide case is very critical to the investigation.

He said an MHS employee who had arrived to open the school’s gate found the victim lying on the ground along the hallway.

DPS will release the 24-hour preliminary report this morning (Wednesday).

“So whatever details that I am allowed to release will be released by tomorrow morning,” he said.

Tarkong said they are appealing to anyone who has information about the homicide as well as the burglary and theft to call DPS.

He said the NMI Crime Stoppers Program is offering up to $1,000 cash reward to anyone who can provide information that will lead to an arrest.

Between 9:30am and 11am, Saipan Tribune saw several police investigators at the MHS campus. Investigators surrounded the vicinity of the hallway with yellow crime scene tape. Ballesteros’ car was parked near the hallway.

Some teachers and MHS vice principal Lumi Bermudes were seen yesterday morning near the gate talking with some parents who had inquired what was going on.

At 9:40am, Chief Prosecutor Kevin Lynch arrived at the campus.

Vice principal Bermudes said it was the Education Commissioner’s decision to cancel classes.

“We stopped everybody from coming in. There was no student yet at the time, only our staff who came early,” Bermudes said.

Friends described Ballesteros as a joker and a very nice person.

Saipan Tribune learned that Ballesteros had two children on Saipan. He was set to have a christening for his youngest—a four-month old baby—this Sunday.