Missing Swiss dead?

MANILA, Philippines - Reported missing last year, a Swiss could be the same person killed in Antipolo, Rizal on the same day he was reported missing on Sept. 22, a police official said yesterday.

Chief Inspector Rodel Marcelo, head of the Quezon City Police District’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit, said an Antipolo policeman informed him of a shooting incident there and that the victim could be Alex Reich, 24, who has not returned to his condominium unit since Sept. 22.

Marcelo said he sent investigators to look at the body of the slain man and based on the tattoos on the victim’s right arm, the victim could be Reich. Photos provided by Reich's relatives and friends show that he has a samurai tattoo on his right arm.

Marcelo said the Antipolo police is waiting for the family and friends of the victim to confirm if the body was really Reich’s.

Reich left his apartment at around midnight but was late to pick up a friend from work. At past 1 a.m., he sent a text message that said: “I’m in a white car with friends-coming soon.”

Reich was not heard from again since then. His family and members of the Swiss police have been to Manila to look for him.

Residents of a subdivision in Antipolo City reportedly heard shots at around 3 a.m. on Sept. 22 then the sound of a motor vehicle leaving the area.