Hair, blood from SUV match DNA profile of missing beauty queen’s family — CIDG
THE hair stands and blood samples discovered in an abandoned SUV in Batangas City matched those of the DNA samples collected from the parents of missing Batangas beauty queen Catherine Camilon.
It was the first strongest kind of circumstantial evidence found by the Philippine National Police – Criminal Investigation and Detection Group headed by Maj. Gen. Romeo M. Caramat Jr. which has been tasked to thoroughly probe the case of the victim who has been missing since last October 12.
The findings corroborated witnesses’ accounts that they saw the already unconscious victim being brought by three suspects into the SUV, said Caramat.
The official said that the DNA in the recovered 17 hair strands and 12 blood samples were cross-matched with samples given by Camilon’s parents to the PNP Forensic Group’s DNA Center.
“Yung strands of hair at swab of blood—all pieces of forensic evidence– na narecover natin doon sa Honda CRV na allegedly ay pinaglipatan ng mga suspect sa walang-malay na biktima ay nag-match doon sa DNA sample na kinuha natin sa parents ni Miss Camilon,” the official told the Journal Group.
Caramat explained that the DNA test result fully bolster the claim by witnesses that they saw the unconscious victim being transferred into the SUV, which was later found abandoned in Batangas City.
“Confirmed na si Miss Camilon ‘yung nakita nila. The only thing we need to do now is to find her,” the official said citing a report from CIDG Region 4-A chief Col. Jacinto R. Malinao Jr..
The PNP-CIDG director also said that the criminal charges for kidnapping and serious illegal detention they filed against Maj. Allan de Castro, his driver Jeffrey Magpantay, and two John Does will stay until they find the victim.
“Dahil up to now hindi pa natin nakikita o narerecover si Miss Camilon, hindi pa natin alam kung siya ay buhay o patay na, but in the absence of that nga, it will remain kidnapping and serious illegal detention muna yung ikakaso natin,” the official said
A more serious case of kidnapping with homicide, which is a non-bailable offense, will be recommended against the accused in case it will be proven that Camilon is already dead.
As of press time, the PNP-CIDG is still searching for the owner of the abandoned SUV where the victim was transferred from a Nissan Juke reportedly owned by de Castro who is already under restrictive custody at the Police Regional Office 4-A headquarters in Camp Vicente Lim in Laguna.
Earlier, PNP spokesperson Col. Jean S. Fajardo said that the result of a DNA test conducted on the hair and blood samples discovered in an abandoned vehicle in Batangas City will be the main key in uncracking the Camilon case.
