By Marie Tonette-Marticio
TACLOBAN CITY – Authorities have arrested three suspects in Pasay City in connection with the killing of former Abuyog, Leyte Vice Mayor James Bohol and his son Carlo James.
The arrests were carried out with the help of the Anti-Kidnapping Group and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group after investigators tracked the suspects’ movements through the vehicles they used.
The suspects, all residents of Basey, Samar, allegedly abducted the victims from their warehouse in Barangay Santa Cruz, Mayorga, Leyte. One of the suspects, identified as “Mak”, had asked James Bohol for an extension on a check payment.
Mak later claimed that James threatened him and his family, prompting the abduction.
The victims were taken to Silago, Southern Leyte, where tensions escalated. An argument between Carlo James and one of Mak’s accomplices led to violence, resulting in the victims being stabbed to death.
Their bodies, with hands bound by wire and mouths gagged, were dumped in a ravine.
Police Brig. Gen. Jason Capoy, PRO-8 director, reported that intelligence units traced the suspects through a Mitsubishi Mirage getaway vehicle abandoned in Barangay Tingib, Basey. GPS data from the car rental company helped pinpoint the suspects’ route along the Abuyog-Silago Road. The victims were eventually discovered in Barangay Imelda, Silago.
The suspects later switched to a Toyota Hilux, which they abandoned in Sariaya, Quezon, before being captured in Pasay.
Initial investigation confirmed the victims died of stab wounds.
Follow-up inquiries are ongoing to establish further details about the crime.
