THE two suspects in the murder of Rhea Mae Tocmo had their DNA collected in order to determine whether or not they were responsible for the horrible act.
The swab samples of Simeon Gabutero and Roberto Gabison alias Intsik will be matched with those taken by PNP Forensic Unit 7 from Rhea Mae's body, according to Police Lieutenant Colonel Gerard Ace Pelare, spokesperson for Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO 7) Chief Brigadier General Anthony Aberin.
The outcome of the DNA test will show if they indeed killed 19-year-old Tocmo.
Both Gabison and Cabutero denied involvement in the death of Tocmo, whose body was placed inside a cardboard box and dumped along the roadside in Sitio Mohon, Barangay Tisa, Cebu City on July 17, 2023.
"Ang forensics man gud would confirm katong mga pieces of evidence nga nakuha na sauna, ang scientific evidence is beyond question, once proven nga naa kay DNA didto sa crime scene it’s very difficult to refute," Pelare said.
(The forensics would also confirm those pieces of evidence that have been obtained, the scientific evidence is beyond question, once proven that you have DNA at the crime scene it's very difficult to refute).
In a recent interview with AM radio station DyHP, Cabutero stated that he was willing to take a polygraph test to prove that he did not fabricate the fact that Gabison was the one who instructed him to sell Rhea Mae's cell phone in Cebu City’s downtown area.
Gabison vehemently denied the accusation.
General Aberin is closely monitoring the progress of Tocmo's case which is being handled by the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO).
Pelare said that they gave the investigators from the CCPO enough time to gather more evidence for the filing of charges.
The police urged the public, especially those who have information about the killing of Tocmo, to come forward.(AYB, TPT)