Goddaughter tagged by authorities as alleged mastermind in cop's double murder case

• Authorities revealed the double murder was a planned execution stemming from a non-existent ₱1.1M car deal and a ₱550K down payment scam
• Suspects allegedly prepped the crime scene by covering furniture with plastic before shooting the mother and suffocating her 8-year-old son
• The primary suspects, a car agent and her dismissed-cop husband, brought their own children while dumping the bodies in Bulacan and Tarlac
• The victim's estranged husband is a person of interest for allegedly ordering an immediate cremation to bypass a mandatory autopsy

Authorities on Tuesday declared the harrowing double murder of a policewoman and her eight-year-old son "case closed" following a breakthrough investigation that exposed a meticulously planned execution disguised as a car transaction.

The tragedy began as a fraudulent car deal involving 38-year-old Police Senior Master Sergeant Diane Marie Mollenido.

Seeking to purchase a vehicle valued at ₱1.1 million, Mollenido had already paid ₱550,000 to Pia Katrina Panganiban, a car agent who was also the victim’s goddaughter.

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In a bid to cover the remaining balance, Mollenido sought Panganiban’s assistance in selling her own Toyota Innova for ₱450,000.

However, Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Director Col. Randy Glenn Silvio revealed that the target vehicle, a Mitsubishi Montero, never existed.

The transaction was a ruse designed to lure the victim to the suspects' residence in Novaliches on January 16.

The brutality of the crime has shocked even veteran investigators. Evidence suggests the suspects prepared for the killing days in advance, even covering their furniture with plastic to prevent bloodstains.

Inside the Novaliches home, Mollenido was fatally shot in the head. Her young son, John Ysmael, was then suffocated with a plastic bag.

Heartbreakingly, the suspects’ own three children were present in the house during the murders.

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla condemned the perpetrators, noting that they even brought their children along as they transported and dumped the bodies in separate locations across Bulacan and Tarlac.

The primary suspects, Panganiban and her husband, Kristian, a dismissed police officer, are now in custody along with two accomplices.

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Meanwhile, the victim’s estranged husband, also a police officer, remains a person of interest.

Remulla raised concerns over the husband’s suspicious lack of remorse and his attempt to immediately cremate his wife’s remains without an autopsy.

While the suspects claim they were framed, PNP Chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. affirmed that the evidence is overwhelming, calling it a "slam dunk case" as it moves toward prosecution.

In other news, law enforcement in San Jose del Monte successfully recovered a 14-day-old baby girl after her own parents reportedly attempted to trade her for cash. The PNP-WCPC executed a sting at a shopping center, apprehending the couple the moment they exchanged their newborn for ₱27,500 in marked bills. During questioning, the parents admitted they intended to use the proceeds of the sale as start-up capital for a "kwek-kwek" and street food venture. Highlighting the gravity of the crime, NACC Undersecretary Janella Estrada asserted that children must never be exploited as commercial goods for financial gain.

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Still in other news, a 24-year-old nurse and her tricycle driver were both fatally shot by a duo on a motorcycle while stationary at a busy intersection in Barangay City Heights. The "riding-in-tandem" gunmen struck while the victims were waiting for a traffic signal to change, causing immediate panic among nearby commuters. Investigators are leaning toward a personal vendetta as the primary motive, noting that the tricycle driver had a prior legal history that may be linked to the attack. Local police have already identified several persons of interest and are currently reviewing security footage to track the escape route of the assailants.

Source: KAMI.com.gh