TARLAC, Philippines – On June 22, social media posts from concerned friends announced that Kapampangan beauty queen Geneva Lopez and boyfriend Yitzhak Cohen were missing. The posts went viral, sparking public interest in the case.
Lopez, a Mutya ng Pilipinas Pampanga 2023 candidate, and Cohen had gone to Tarlac for a supposed land transaction in Tarlac the day before, on June 21. Both had been unreachable on social media and their mobile phone numbers since around 3 pm of that day.
Police say seven people are believed to be involved in the case, including two former cops. They are looking at a botched land transaction as the possible motive behind the killing of the couple.
Here is the timeline of the case based on police reports obtained by Rappler.
The Bureau of Fire Protection in Capas, Tarlac (BFP-Capas), investigates an abandoned and burned SUV in Barangay Cristo Rey a few hours past midnight, after a video of the burning car was sent to the BFP-Capas Facebook account.
Lopez’s family confirm that the recovered items from the vehicle, including an ID, belong to Geneva.
Lopez’s sister, Joni, reports the couple as missing. She also hands in a request for a flash alarm of an abandoned burned vehicle from the Capas municipal police station.
Capas police begin to establish the connection between Lopez and former cop Michael Guiang, who, they discover, met prior to the couple’s disappearance. CCTV footage confirms the last sighting of Lopez and Cohen in a gray Nissan Terra and meeting Guiang who drove a black Ford Everest.
Capas police discover that the black SUV is registered to Guiang and invite him to the municipal police station. Guiang arrives early in the morning for questioning and submits a notarized affidavit, revealing the name of Rommel Abuzo, another former cop.
A white Nissan Terra with a “tampered plate number” is seen tailing the investigators’ convoy as they continue to retrace the routes of the vehicles of Guiang and the couple, based on CCTV footage.
The Tarlac Forensic Crime Laboratory conducts a macro-etching on the burned vehicle which reveals the chassis and engine number.
The National Bureau of Investigation’s organized and transnational crime division coordinates with Capas police about the missing persons case.
Various law enforcement units and agencies meet for a case conference where vital information about the cause of the fire on the vehicle is also revealed.
Investigators conduct visits to sites related to the case. A charred mobile phone is recovered from the burned Nissan Terra.
The person who sent the video of the burning vehicle to BFP-Capas appears at the Capas police station and executes his sworn statement.
Capas police continues further coordination with the Clark Development Corporation and Metro Pacific Tollway Company for CCTV footage that may help in the case.
The Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit-3 says that they cannot conduct a digital forensic examination as the recovered mobile phone is “badly burned.”
Tarlac police activate the Provincial Committee on Missing and Found Persons comprised of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Regional Intelligence Unit-3, Tarlac’s Provincial Intelligence Unit, Forensic Unit, Cybercrime Response Team, regional and provincial Highway Patrol Group (HPG), Tarlac Legal Office, and the Bureau of Fire Protection-Capas station.
Local police and investigators conduct onsite inspections in Barangay Cristo Rey, Barangay Armenia, and other locations linked to the case.
A background investigation begins on Abuzo and two identified persons as alleged sellers of the land to the victims.
Around 8 pm, the white Nissan Terra that had previously tailed investigators is seen abandoned in a vacant lot in Barangay Tibag, Tarlac City.
Less than an hour later, Abuzo claims ownership of the vehicle but further investigation reveals that the vehicle is registered under a different name. Further probe by the police reveals that Abuzo alleged Guiang as the real owner of the white Terra and that he had a pending land transaction with Guiang.
A shoulder bag with hand writing on the sling, an inhaler, and a vape are recovered in the white Terra following its turnover to the Tarlac HPG.
Legal counsels inform Capas MPS of Guiang’s additional sworn statement. The Regional Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) is activated.
The first SITG conference is held to consolidate information and plan further actions.
Jay Tacubanza confesses to Tarlac Governor Susan Yap about his involvement in the disappearance and the burning of the vehicle, leading to subsequent search warrants.
Armed with warrants, law enforcers conduct simultaneous searches in barangays San Francisco, Santa Ignacia, and San Luis in Tarlac City, leading to the arrest of Guiang and Abuzo for illegal possession of firearms.
A hand grenade and a 9mm caliber pistol with live ammunition are seized from Guiang. Two bags with a significant arsenal of various rounds of ammunition and firearm accessories are discovered in Abuzo’s possession.
On the same day, the bodies of Lopez and Cohen are found in a quarry site in Barangay Santa Lucia in Capas, Tarlac. Pampanga Governor Dennis Pineda initially confirms this on his Facebook page.
The autopsy reveals that Lopez and Cohen had been shot. Lopez is cremated and brought to her hometown in Santo Tomas, Pampanga.
Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos present Guiang and Abuzo as primary suspects in the case, and Jeffrey Santos, a civilian, as a third suspect.
Two more suspects, aliases “Dondon” and “Junjun” surrender to authorities while two more remain at large. A total of seven people are allegedly involved in crime.
Major General Leo Francisco, Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group chief Major General Leo Francisco says at the press conference that a dispute over a piece of land owned by Guiang which he had mortgaged to Lopez could be the primary motive for the killings. Guiang wanted to take back the land he pawned but Lopez refused to give it back. – Rappler.com
