MPD: Burned body matches age of kidnapped school owner

MANILA, Philippines - Initial findings indicate that a burned body found in Sorsogon province belongs to a man aged at least 60 years old and raised hopes that it could be that of a kidnapped owner of a preschool in Manila, a police official told The STAR yesterday.

Records show that Reynaldo Aguilar, owner-director of the Heidelberg Pre-School and Tutorial Center in Sta. Cruz, Manila was in his late 60s.

He was kidnapped on Oct. 19, together with school caretaker Tony Austria and a 10-year-old boy. Austria was found wounded in a hospital in Northern Samar, while the boy was recovered unharmed and under the care of the parish priest of Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral in Calbayog City, Samar. Aguilar remains missing.

“There are no definite conclusions yet that the exhumed body is that of the missing victim. We are still awaiting results of further tests being conducted by the crime laboratory of the regional police in Sorsogon. However, initial tests are already boosting our hunch that the body could be that of the missing victim,” Chief Inspector Rayan Ador, Manila Police District (MPD) anti-carnapping section head, said.

Ador was tasked by MPD officer-in-charge Senior Superintendent Alex Gutierrez to coordinate with Chief Inspector Elcid Roldan, the intelligence officer of Sorsogon police and the leader of the exhumation team.

Aguilar’s family, led by his eldest son Ren, is in Sorsogon province. They brought with them the victim’s dental records for comparison.

According to Ador, initial tests also showed the exhumed body bore only a single tooth. “The victim’s dental records will show if he wore dentures,” he said.

Ren reportedly could not also confirm whether a necklace with a pendant recovered from the area where the body was burned was his father’s. “His father wore a quantum pendant necklace, but Ren is reluctant to confirm it was from his father since the necklace is quite different,” Ador said.

Austria told police at his hospital bed that it was his neighbor, Aurelio Esidera, who reportedly kidnapped them after Aguilar caught Esidera robbing his office. The three were reportedly brought to Northern Samar in Aguilar’s car, which was recovered by Ador in Matnog, Sorsogon near the place where the body was reportedly burned.

There are reports that Esidera has been sending surrender feelers.