Two maids drown in pool

BY CHRISTINEVARNO
Staff Writer

BY CHRISTINEVARNO
Staff Writer

LONG BRANCH — The bodies of two live-in housemaids were found on Sunday floating in the pool of the Elberon residence where they were employed on Breakwater Place.

Matilde Chino Rosario, 21, from Mexico, who had worked at the residence for two years, and Lourdes Eugenia Carabajo Palaguachi, 24, from Ecuador, who began working at the residence on Aug. 16, were found at 7 a.m. by the homeowner, Diane Terzi, according to Detective Sgt. Fernando Sanders, the assistant commander of the criminal investigation unit.

Terzi was looking out her kitchen window that morning when she noticed two sets of shoes on the patio and clothing lying next to it, according to reports. She told officers that it was unusual to see that, so she went outside to investigate.

She saw the two bodies floating in her pool and she screamed for her son-in-law, Joseph Setton, who came to the pool area and retrieved the bodies from the water.

Terzi told officers that Rosario was terrified of water and was a nonswimmer, according to Sanders.

Sanders said the investigation has led the police department to believe that one of the maids went into the water and became distressed, at which time the other maid, who was a nonswimmer, attempted to rescue her.

The two housekeepers lived in a room off the garage and were last seen around 10 p.m., just before the Setton family went to bed.

A nearby neighbor said that at approximately 11 p.m. he heard loud screaming and began to walk over to the household to see what was wrong, but when he got halfway there, the noise stopped and he turned around and returned home.

The autopsies are being conducted by Dr. Jay Peacock, the Monmouth County medical examiner, and the results were expected to be in by the end of this week.

Sanders said it is a tragic accident and there was no evidence of alcohol or drugs involved.