OLONGAPO CITY鈥揗ayor Rolen Paulino has ordered a manhunt for a Filipino-American suspected to be behind the murder of a woman whose body was found in a dike in San Felipe, Zambales last week.
Police said the victim, Karie Ces 鈥淎ika鈥� Mojica, 23, a resident of Barangay Sta. Rita here and an employee of a local supermarket, was reported missing on Friday.
Authorities have tagged Jonathan Dewayne Ciocon Viane, 29, a Filipino-American, as primary suspect in the murder, citing accounts of witnesses.
Police in San Felipe town on Monday filed in the Zambales prosecutor鈥檚 office a murder complaint against Viane and another man.
Mojica鈥檚 body was found by San Felipe residents in a portion of the Sto. Tomas river dike at 6 a.m. on Saturday.
Police described the victim鈥檚 body as 鈥減artly burnt鈥� and her hands tied with a black plastic strap. Recovered from the area were three empty shells from a 9mm pistol, it said.
A witness told police that Mojica met Viane at a gasoline station in the city before she was reported missing on Friday.
Olongapo residents and Mojica鈥檚 relatives took to social media to denounce the crime and call for justice.
In her Facebook account, Tierra Ricci, the victim鈥檚 cousin, said Mojica had three bullet wounds in the head.
鈥淲hoever did this to her, you don鈥檛鈥� deserve to live,鈥� Ricci said.
A picture of the suspect was also posted on Facebook as netizens called for his immediate arrest.
Paulino asked Olongapo residents to share any information about the suspect鈥檚 whereabouts.
The victim鈥檚 relatives, however, dismissed reports that Mojica was sexually abused. 鈥淲e, the relatives of the victim, ask netizens to please stop [spreading] rumors that she was raped because she was not,鈥� Ricci said in one of her Facebook posts. Allan Macatuno, Inquirer Central Luzon