Overview
- Carpenter, 73, was fatally shot in the head after three masked men forced their way into his Sibulan house, and the attackers fled with a laptop, cash and a backpack.
- His Filipina companion sustained injuries and is being treated, and authorities say the suspects remain at large after the Sunday night attack.
- Local police have launched a special investigation that includes CCTV review, witness interviews and tracking operations, and they say the U.S. Embassy in Manila has been notified.
- A government news agency reported that the companion was tied up and sexually assaulted, but that allegation has not been independently corroborated in other public accounts.
- Scientists and institutions that worked with Carpenter — who collaborated with Silliman University since 1976 and helped document Philippine marine biodiversity — have mourned his death and called for a swift, transparent probe.