CEBU, Philippines – A man who had gone missing for more than a week was found dead, hogtied, and placed inside a sack, past 6 a.m. yesterday in Sitio Mahayahay, Barangay Tuyom, Carcar City.
Senior Police Officer 4 Jorame Tanudtanud, Carcar City Police Station chief investigator, identified the victim as Jemuel Racho, 22, of Garita Heights, Barangay Valladolid, Carcar City.
In a telephone interview, Tanudtanud said that a certain Elsie Tanudtanud, was walking in Sitio Mahayahay when she was disturbed by a foul smell.
Her curiosity aroused, she scoured the area and saw a sack in the middle of a grassland. She inspected the sack and saw to her surprise a man’s head inside it.
The woman reported what she found to a barangay official, who called the police station for assistance.
Senior Police Officer 4 Tanudtanud said that when they arrived at the scene the smell was almost unbearable but kibitzers still flocked to the area.
The chief investigator said that when they inspected the sack, they found out that the body was carefully wrapped inside.
The victim’s body was placed in a squat position, his hands were tied with a tie wire at the back and the face was taped to prevent him from breathing.
“Planado kaayo, ang lawas gisulod og sako unya gibaatan og tape ang nawong. Gisulod pa gyud og laing sako unya gibugkosan gisilyohan og alambre,” SPO4 Tanudtanud said.
He said that while they were inspecting the body, a woman approached them to check if the body belonged to her missing son.
Upon seeing the words “Big Boy Velez” tattooed on the man’s back, she confirmed that the dead body was that of her son.
Senior Police Officer 4 Tanudtanud said that they could not determine as of press time how Racho was killed but he was sure that Racho was killed elsewhere and that the body was thrown in the area.
The policeman theorized that the crime could have been committed by more than two persons but they could not yet determine as of yesterday the cause of death. He urged Racho’s family to have his body autopsied to check how the victim died.
Prior to the discovery of Racho’s body, a few residents noticed a black van in the area that could have possibly been used to ferry the victim’s body in the area.
Racho was last seen last Saturday drinking with his friends but he did not make it home after that.
His mother went to the police station to check if he was arrested by the police but he was not among those who were caught playing hantak (coin toss game) the other day.
The victim was once a suspect of a shooting incident but the case was dropped after an amicable settlement. —/RHM (FREEMAN)