Major bus line owner found dead in Tarlac

The owner of a major bus line was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds in a grassy area in La Paz, Tarlac last Tuesday morning, police said.

Senior Superintendent Nicanor Bartolome, Tarlac police director, said investigators were working closely with the family of the victim, Dionisio Llamas Jr., 76, owner of the California Bus Lines and father-in law of Ernie Lopez, brother of ABS-CBN chairman and chief executive officer Gabby Lopez.

Police found four cartridges and five bullets of a caliber .45 pistol near Llamas’ body in Barangay Caut.

Senior Superintendent Sonny Cunanan, Tarlac deputy chief for operations and head of Task Force Llamas which Bartolome has formed, said they were not yet ruling out robbery in the killing although Llamas’ P8,236 cash, reading glasses and Cartier wristwatch were intact.

Police found Llamas’ maroon Toyota GLI abandoned in Barangay Matatalahib in Tarlac City at about 6:10 a.m. Tuesday, or 20 minutes before his body was discovered in La Paz town.

Superintendent Rudy Lacadin, Tarlac City police chief, said they found Llamas’ identification card inside the vehicle with his wife, Mercedes, as the contact person.

"Initially, we did not know that the body and the vehicle were connected but after further investigation, we found out that Llamas was driving the vehicle prior to his killing," he said.

Bartolome said Llamas’ son Jose Martin and other possible witnesses have given their sworn statements, which investigators are now analyzing to help identify, arrest and prosecute his killers.

"According to the victim’s son, his father had been meeting with ‘business partners’ for a gold deal. The victim left their house on the evening of Sept. 25, hours before he was found dead," Bartolome said.