Bontoc cops pin 4 suspects in murder

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- Police here are feeling the heat.

The brutal death of 22-year-old Sarah Gemalyn Macholi Becyagen has left Bontoc town in disbelief and grief.

Mountain Province police director William Viteno said the police force is now challenged and pressured to solve the murder.

“This is a rare case here,” Viteno said.

Becyagen was found dead at a vacant lot fronting the Mountain Province General Comprehensive High School (MPGCH) in Bontoc last September 11.

Viteno said the time of death has already been estimated at 10:30 to 11 p.m. Becyagen was last seen alive by a cousin at 9:30 the same evening 100 meters from the place where her lifeless body was found.

“We are pressured and we are appealing for witnesses to come forward,” Viteno said.

Bontoc police have set up a command center at the quarters of Viteno, piecing together details of the crime.

Becyagen’s body was found in a canal along the main highway before the Samoki Bridge here. Although fully clothed, police cannot rule out sexual abuse because laboratory tests are ongoing.

Captain Benedict Gang-aoen, who heads the investigation team, said there are now four possible suspects in the Becyagan murder. “We are still gathering evidence.”

Gang-aoen said there is also an eye witness, who was in the vicinity of the crime scene and who heard a commotion around 10:15 p.m. The same witness reported there were two unidentified males roaming the area.

Becyagan’s phone charger and earrings were later found near the canal where her body was found while her ring and cell phone remain missing.

Police are now imploring residents to come forward and give any information to solve the crime. “We are also tracking all vehicles that passed the area at that time,” Gang-aoen said.