Priest found dead in Purworejo
Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post/Purworejo
A priest was found dead with several stab wounds to his head at his house in Purworejo, Central Java, on Friday morning.
The murder of Father Thomas Warsidiyono, 50, caretaker of the Komdinum Hati Kudus boarding house, remained a mystery, as police are still investigating the case.
His body was taken to Sardjito Hospital in Yogyakarta for an autopsy.
Eny Kuswati, 28, a cook at the house, was the first person to stumble across the priest's body. She was on her way to prepare breakfast at about 5:30 a.m. when walking through the garage she found the priest sprawled on the ground covered in blood.
She immediately notified her colleagues before she reported the incident to the police.
A friend of the victim, Father Sulistiyono, said he knew about the incident from the victim's driver, Didi.
"I was at morning prayers in the chapel on Jl. General Soedirman, when Father Warsidiyono's driver, Didi, told me about the incident," said Sulistiyono.
After hearing the news, he went to the victim's house on Jl. Jayeng Tirto I, Langenrejo in Purworejo.
"His body was still on the ground. There was a lot of blood on the back of his head, behind his ears, forehead and chin, with a gash on his mouth. I immediately reported the incident to the Purworejo Police," Sulistiyono said.
He added that police officers arrived at the scene at about 8 a.m.
Hariyanti, an official of the Holy Mother of Mary Church where Harsidiyono had served, described him as "a saint, a good man."
"He had no enemies. No threats have been made to this church prior to his death. We're still baffled by his death," she told Agence France Presse.
The priest's body is to be buried in Kaliori, Banyumas regency, on Saturday.
Purworejo Police chief of detectives Comr. Fibrika said they had not determined the cause or motive of the murder.
"We are now conducting an autopsy and investigating the case. We haven't resolved whether this murder was purely a crime, or not," Fibrika said.