2 Filipinos found dead in New York City; DFA ready to assist kin

NEW YORK - Two Filipinos, a transgender and a woman, were found dead in separate areas in New York City earlier this month.

The fatalities were identified as Zeny Braga, 44, and Rodolfo Manacap Jr. aka Olivia Snow.

Braga's body was found in the bathroom of her rented apartment in Elmhurst, Queens on January 17.

Paramedics from the New York Fire Department brought her to the Elmhurst Hospital but she was dead on arrival.

Manacap's body meanwhile was found on January 19 at a hotel in Manhattan.

She was last seen by friends attending the Miss Universe beauty pageant in New Orleans on January 14.

Authorities have not yet issued an official statement ruling out foul play in the deaths of Braga and Manacap.

The Philippine Consulate General in New York said it is coordinating with New York City authorities regarding the case of Manacap. It has already informed the relatives of Manacap in Davao City.

"The Philippine Consulate General in New York received with great sadness reports of the death of Rodolfo Mañacap, aka Olivia Snow, a freelance makeup artist and a member of the Filipino community in Woodside, New York," Consul General Senen Mangalile said in a statement.

"On January 20, 2023, the Consulate was informed by an employee of Best Western Hotel located in 30th Street in Manhattan that Ms. Snow passed away in the room she was occupying at that hotel. The New York Police Department reportedly took Ms. Snow’s body in the afternoon of January 19, 2023," he said.

"The Consulate also received a Memorandum from the Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) dated January 20, 2023 requesting the Consulate’s assistance in locating Ms. Snow’s next-of-kin. The Consulate was able to locate Ms. Snow’s relatives in Davao, Philippines, through the help of the Filipino community in New York, and has since connected the OCME with the family of the deceased. The same Memorandum also confirms Ms. Snow’s date of death," Mangalile added.

"The Consulate is in close coordination with Ms. Snow’s aunt residing in the Philippines, and her cousin residing in New York, as the family continues to decide on the next course of action. The Consulate is closely coordinating with Ms. Snow’s next of kin and the Office of Chief Medical Examiner on determining the exact cause of death. At this moment, there is no indication that would support a suspicion of foul play in the case of Ms. Snow," he added.

The Department of Foreign Affairs' Assistance to Nationals unit has coordinated with the relatives of both Braga and Manacap to determine how it can extend assistance.

“The Philippine Consulate General in New York is ready to extend assistance to the grieving families of Ms. Zeny Braga and Ms. Olivia Snow in facilitating the release of documents that would allow the expeditious repatriation of their mortal remains, and in finding a cost-effective means of repatriating said remains while exhausting all possible and available sources of funding," the Consulate said.

Friends of Braga and Manacap, as well as members of the Filipino/Filipino-American community have plans to raise funds for the wakes and repatriation of both, it added.

Meanwhile, Mangalile has met with New York City Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Manuel Castro regarding the protection of Filipinos in New York City. —Dave Llavanes Jr./KG, GMA Integrated News