ANGELES CITY, Pampanga — Police said missing businesswoman Maria Teresa “Tess” Mamac was found dead buried in a six feet deep grave inside the compound of their residential mansion in Barangay Balibago in the said city Monday (Feb. 16) evening.
Police exhumed the body of the victim at around 9:45 pm in front of Angeles City Mayor Carmelo Lazatin II and other local officials in the city. Media were barred from entering the scene while Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) processed evidence.
Manuel “Dok” Tolentino, the longtime family driver of the Mamacs for more than 20 years was tagged by investigators as the “person of interest”, in the killing of Mamac. He is now the object of a massive manhunt.
At around 9:45 p.m. on Monday, authorities recovered the body believed to be Mamac’s from a roughly six-foot-deep grave near Tolentino’s residence within the compound.
CCTV footage obtained by investigators showed Tolentino in the Hadrian area of Barangay Balibago before traveling to Mawaque in Mabalacat City and later to Magalang, where Mamac’s white Toyota Innova was found abandoned.
He was later seen returning to Angeles City and heading toward a bus terminal in Barangay Pulung Maragul, police said.
Blood traces recovered from the vehicle’s accelerator and brake pedals are now undergoing forensic examination. The recovered remains will also be subjected to autopsy to determine the exact cause and time of death.
Earlier, Pampanga 1st District Representative Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin Jr. condemned the killing and offered a P200,000 cash reward, from his own pocket, for information leading to the arrest of the suspect.
“There is no room for such a heinous crime in a moral, civilized society. I pray that the perpetrator will be swiftly brought to justice,” Lazatin said.
Colonel Joselito Villarosa, director of Angeles City Police Office appealed to the public to refrain from spreading speculation and unverified information while police build the case against the suspect. (UnliNews Online)
