DAVAO City Police Office (DCPO) has identified the suspect behind the slaying of an accounting fresh graduate last week.
In an interview last August 5 with DCPO spokesperson Police Captain Ma. Teresita Gaspan, she said on Saturday, the police went to Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental to check the possible location of the suspect. They already coordinated with the Jose Abad Santos Municipal Police Station on the possible arrest of the suspect whom she did not identify.
It can be recalled that last week, Rachelle Panio, 21, was found lifeless in her room in Barangay 76-A, Bucana, Davao City. She was set to take the Certified Public Accountant Licensure Examination this year.
It was earlier reported to be an alleged suicide incident after an iron cord was found looped around her neck, believed to have caused her death. But later on, an official of the Scene of the Crime Operatives (Soco) ruled it out after they found trauma in her skull during the autopsy of the body, indicating that someone hit her.
Gaspan added that during the police investigation, they failed to arrest the suspect since the place where he is hiding is located in the remote area and the suspect’s mother refused to surrender him due to fear that something bad might happen to him.
DCPO also coordinated with the local government officials of Jose Abad Santos who assured them that they will pursue the suspect and convince him to surrender to close the case.
She also confirmed that they are positive that he was the suspect because when the incident happened, he suddenly disappeared. The suspect is a renter at a boarding house owned by the victim’s family.
“Oo (he is the suspect) kay after sa incident nawala man dayon siya kay boarder man (He disappeared after the incident),” Gaspan said.
The possible motive of the crime is attempted robbery.