QCPD arrest suspect in deaths of two victims initially reported missing

The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) said on Monday that they arrested a suspect in the deaths of two individuals who were initially reported missing.

In a statement, the QCPD said its Criminal Investigation Unit (CIDU) identified the suspect as Mark Anthony Valera Cosio or “Mac Mac,” a taxi driver and resident of Barangay Talipapa.

His victims were 79-year-old Edilbertha Borruel Gomez and Maria Cristina dela Cruz Capistrano.

Authorities were able to identify Cosio through CCTV footage, the QCPD said.

Cosio was initially arrested in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Sauyo on February 3 after the police received information that he was also allegedly involved in gun running, drug pushing, kidnapping, and selling explosives.

On February 10, the police said he confessed that he and his alleged cohorts - Rolando Mosinos Picaña or “Lanlan”, Keith Richard Robosa, and Jimbo Robosa - dumped Gomez's body in Tanay, Rizal.

On February 11, police went to the area described by the suspect and found the body of Gomez, who had been missing since January 14.

Aside from this, the suspect also revealed that they were responsible for the death of Capistrano, who was reported missing on January 27 and whose body was found in Laug, Mexico, Pampanga on January 29.

Police are still conducting man-hunt operations agaisnt the remaining suspects.

Case closed

While authorities considered the Gomez killing case closed, it was still unclear to them if robbery was the only motive behind the crime.

“First case is P5,000 and the other is P7,000. Napaka-liit ng pera…. [We think they are] not ordinary criminals eh. Hardened criminals ang tingin ko,” said QCPD District Director BGen. Nick Torre in Marisol Abdurahman’s report on “24 Oras”.

Torre said they are not ruling out the possibility the suspects have more victims as they received feelers from other chiefs of police about bodies found in their areas of jurisdiction.

In an interview with the media, Cosio admitted he used his taxi when he took part in the crimes.

He faced numerous charges together with the other suspects who remained at large.

“Bale wala po, kung sino lang po ang maisakay… ’Pag naibaba ko po ‘yung biktima sila naman kukuha. Bale nakasunod po yung taxi ko dun tapos yung Vios naghatid dun,” he told reporters.

The victim’s family thanked the authorities for the suspect’s arrest.

“Pasensya na po kayo masakit kasi,” Fernando Gomez, the victim’s nephew, tearfully said. —with a report from Sundy Locus/DVM, GMA Integrated News