Hunt on for suspect in death of 18-year-old student in Cebu

Police are searching for a 43-year old man who was last seen with a 18-year-old female grade 12 student whose body was found tied and gagged inside a lodging house in Toledo, Cebu.

In Fe Marie Dumaboc’s Tuesday report on 24 Oras, the parents of Mae Fatima Tagactac, a grade 12 student, could still not believe her terrible fate.

On Thursday last week, the victim  told her parents she will be attending a dance practice at her school.

That was the last time her parents saw her alive.

CCTV footage showed Mae Fatima went to a lodging house with suspect Lorben Cabagsan Larot.

The lodging house’s staff found Tagactac already dead inside one of their rooms on Friday morning. Her hands were tied behind her back and her mouth was gagged with a handkerchief.

Larot was nowhere to be found.

Tagactac’s family called on the suspect to surrender.

“Sana sa gumawa nito sa aking anak, nawa'y mabigyan hustisya ang aking anak at pagbayaran niya ang kanyang ginawa. Mahal ko ang aking anak, ang sakit para sa mga magulang na ganito ang ginawa sa anak. Nang umalis buhay pa, pag-uwi patay na, ang hirap,” Tagactac’s father said.

(To the person who did this to my daughter, I hope we find justice for her and for the suspect to be held accountable. I love my daughter and it hurts for a parent to see this happen to their child. She was alive when she left us but dead when she arrived, this is so difficult.)

Mae Fatima’s remains are undergoing an autopsy and the results will be ready in a few days.

The police are currently investigating the cause of Tagactac’s death. They are trying to determine if she was raped before she was killed.

“Ayon sa OIC (Officer in Charge) sa Toledo City, nakita na itinali ang mga kamay sa likod. Nilagyan ng handkerchief sa bibig. Ang cause of death subject ng progress report since it is still to be examined,” said Police Major Ian Macatangay, Cebu Provincial Police Office spokesperson.

(According to the Toledo City OIC, the victim’s hands were tied behind her back while her mouth was gagged with a handkerchief. The cause of death is still being determined.)

Authorities have launched a region-wide manhunt operation for the suspect.

Cebu police are also coordinating with their counterparts in Misamis Oriental to identify if the suspect has a standing warrant of arrest due to the alleged killing of his father in June 2023.

Authorities said Larot was last seen in Pier 1 of Cebu City on Friday night last week when he had dinner with his live-in partner.

According to his landlord, Larot started renting a room in June. He works odd jobs such as a vendor or a barker who assists ferry passengers find taxis for a few pesos.

“Hindi namin inasahan na ganoon pala siya dahil hindi mo makita na basagulero. Nakikipag-usap siya sa amo at kapag nagta-trabaho, trabaho lang siya sa loob, nagtitinda siya,” Larot’s landlord said.

(We did not expect him to be like this because we did not see him engage in fights. He talks to his employer and he focuses on his work inside as a vendor.)

Larot also often wears a wig or a hat to hide his baldness. He also wears a mask.

Authorities said the victim met the suspect via social media. Police advised parents to warn their children from talking to strangers online.—Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA Integrated News