Policewoman’s husband arrested in connection with double murder case

• Authorities officially arrested Police Senior Master Sergeant John Mollenido on Sunday after he was tagged by a car agent as a suspect in the killing of his wife and son
• The Quezon City Police District confirmed that John Mollenido will face charges alongside three other suspects who were previously apprehended in Novaliches
• Evidence including the victim’s cellphone and P100,000 cash was recovered from the home of two suspects while an SUV used in the crime was found in Pampanga
• The victim Diane Marie Mollenido was found in Bulacan with a gunshot wound while her son John Ysmael died from suffocation and was discovered in a Tarlac farm

The investigation into the brutal deaths of a policewoman and her young son has taken a shocking turn. On Sunday, February 1, authorities arrested Police Senior Master Sergeant John Mollenido, the husband of the victim, Senior Master Sergeant Diane Marie Mollenido.

The arrest follows a statement from a car agent—one of the primary suspects already in custody—who tagged John Mollenido as being involved in the crime. Before he was taken into police custody, John Mollenido declined to comment on the agent's accusations. While he had previously expressed a willingness to cooperate with the law, the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) has now confirmed that “John Mollenido will also face charges.”

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The tragedy first came to light on January 24, when Diane Marie’s body was discovered in a creek in Pulilan, Bulacan. She had suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head. Five days later, the search for her missing eight-year-old son, John Ysmael, ended in heartbreak when his remains were found at a calamansi farm in Victoria, Tarlac. Forensic experts determined the child died from asphyxia caused by suffocation.

Recent reports from investigators have uncovered chilling details. Authorities recovered Diane Marie’s cellphone and P100,000 in cash from a house in Novaliches, Quezon City, belonging to two suspects who are live-in partners. Additionally, a sport utility vehicle (SUV) believed to have been used to transport the bodies of the victims was found abandoned in Pampanga.

John Mollenido, along with the three other suspects arrested last Friday, will now undergo inquest proceedings as the community seeks justice for the fallen officer and her innocent child.

Diane Marie Mollenido was a respected Police Master Sergeant whose disappearance on January 16 sparked a massive search across Central Luzon. The case was initially linked to a car sale transaction in Quezon City that went wrong. The involvement of her husband, also a member of the police force, has added a complex and emotional layer to a case that has already gripped the nation due to its sheer brutality and the young age of the second victim.

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As the legal process begins for the suspects, the recovery of physical evidence has been crucial in building the case against them.

Before the husband was taken into custody, the NCRPO announced the arrest of three individuals in a residential area of Novaliches. These suspects were tracked down following an intensive search operation that spanned several days. The police were able to locate them after analyzing the victims' last known movements during the ill-fated car sale.

A key piece of evidence was found in Pampanga when authorities discovered the vehicle allegedly used by the suspects. The SUV is believed to be the transport vehicle for the victims after they were killed. Forensic teams have processed the vehicle for prints and DNA to further strengthen the link between the arrested suspects and the crime scenes in Bulacan and Tarlac.

Source: KAMI.com.gh