A 21-year-old woman was found dead in a creek in Purok Cacao, Barangay Camugao, Pinamungajan town, Cebu Province at around noontime on January 15, 2024.
The woman was identified as Jocelyn Caparida Samillon, a resident.
Pinamungajan Police led by Major Gilfred Baroman collared the suspect identified as Jimboy Pasacan, 18 years old, a neighbor of the victim and described to be a "close friend and relative."
Major Baroman said that contusions were noticed in parts of the victim’s body especially on her neck.
Prior to the incident, Samillon and Pasacan went reportedly to an outdoor disco in Barangay Anopog, adjacent to Camugao on the night of January 14, 2024.
With them was the elder sister of the suspect, according to the police.
They were onboard separate motorcycles on their way home, but because of the rough road Samillon and Pasacan decided to get off the motorcycle and walk home instead.
However, Samillon was found dead by noontime the following day.
Pasacan left reportedly in a hurry for Dumanjug town, and was later found to have stayed in his father’s house in Barangay Bitoon.
The suspect admitted to strangling the woman for allegedly accusing him of theft.
Pasacan said he punched Samillon on the pit of her stomach. When Samillon passed out, he said, he strangled the woman.
Gemma Samillon, the mother of Jocelyn, confirmed that the suspect is a third-degree cousin of her husband.
In an interview, Gemma said she seeks the incarceration of the suspect for the rest of his life.
She said she trusted that her daughter was safe because she was with relatives when Jocelyn asked permission to participate in an outdoor disco in the adjacent barangay.
She thought initially that Jocelyn was not able to come home because either she was with her boyfriend or was with her grandparents.
However, when she went to see Jocelyn's boyfriend, she learned he was not with Jocelyn on the night of January 14, 2024.
(By Decemay Padilla/DYSS Super Radyo GMA)