GUIGUINTO, Bulacan–Police considers as solved the robbery and killing of a young woman engineer in this town who went missing for three days after they have arrested the believed lone suspect on Thursday, two days after her decomposing body was discovered.
Colonel Charlie Cabradilla, Bulacan police director presented Darwin De Jesus, also known as “Darwin Hernandez,” 30, to Gov. Daniel Fernando and the media after he was arrested in his mother’s house in Barangay Tabang this town at around 4:30 p.m. De Jesus works as welder and as a construction worker
The swollen and deteriorating body of Princess Dianne Dayor, 24, an industrial engineer who works in a shoe company in Pulilan town and also from Barangay Tabang was discovered dumped near a creek in a vacant grassy lot in Tabang and boundary of Barangay Tikay, City of Malolos at about 3:30 p.m. on July 5.
Dayor went missing since July 2 when she left their house at about 5:30 a.m. bound for work. She walked along Dulatre St. towards MacArthur highway near Cloverleaf area where she will take a ride to Malolos from which their company shuttle will pick her up. But the shuttle had left without her showing up.
De Jesus was arrested within 48-hours of Fernando’s order to the police to already provide a lead to solve the crime. Fernando welcomed the police early solution to the case.
“We believe and trust our police and we always provide support to them,” he said.
Cabradilla said medico legal examination showed the victim died of asphyxia due to strangulation. Her family identified her through her tattoos and personal belongings because her body was already beyond recognition.
The three police witnesses took it sometime to talk because of fear, it was learned. The witnesses pointed to De Jesus as the lone suspect as they saw him attacking the victim while she is faced down near the creek and have also traced his whereabouts.
Cabradilla and Guiguinto and Malolos police were on a 48-hour operation to track and arrest De Jesus.
The victim took Dularte street despite having to pass a remote grassy area because sun is already up and it is nearer to Cloverleaf area.
Her body was found some 800 meters or 10-minute’s walk from her house. Its heavy stench led residents to discover it. Dayor’s house is some 300 meters away from that of De Jesus.
At about 4 p.m, Barangay Captain of Ilang-Ilang in this town Darsee Alvarez, also the chairman of Guiguinto Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) received a tip from a concerned citizen that De Jesus went to his mother’s house. Alvarez then went to Guiguinto police and together with Malolos police, they arrested De Jesus.
Fifth District Congressman Ambrosio Cruz Jr., former long time mayor of Guiguinto and father of newly elected Mayor Atty. Agatha Cruz offered P200,000 and City of Malolos Mayor Atty. Christian Natividad P300,000 bounty for the information that would lead them to the culprit.
The congressman who also made his own personal investigation had called on the police and the village folks to work closely together to arrest the suspect.
Col. Ferdinand Germino, City of Malolos police chief said De Jesus had also been involved in attempted rape, illegal drug cases and other criminal activities. He will be charged with robbery and homicide for the killing of Dayor.
Dayor’s body was cremated on Wednesday. Her cousin, Niña Loraine Tamsi told NEWS CORE the already decaying condition of the body did not allow them to hold a wake. Dayor who had just graduated as an industrial engineering student from La Consolacion University of the Philippines in 2019 is the bread winner in her family. She lives with her grandfather who had funded her education being a former Overseas Filipino Worker in the Middle East, Tamsi said.