Exhumation of alleged victim of Bae suspended

CAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna, Philippines – Police authorities suspended yesterday the exhumation in Cavite of another alleged victim of former barangay official Roland Bae who went on a shooting rampage and killed seven people.

Chief Inspector Reynaldo Magdaluyo, chief of the Cavite-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, said they temporarily stopped the exhumation after forensic experts failed to recover more skeletal remains believed to belong to Bae’s former helper Teodulo Villanueva, in Kawit, Cavite.

Bae’s helper John Paul Lopez accompanied police investigators to the grave site in Tabon 1 in Kawit near the house of Bae.

Bae shot dead seven people and wounded several others before he was shot dead by responding policemen last Jan. 4 in Kawit.

Magdaluyo said the investigators have recovered several bone fragments that would be sent to the crime laboratory in Camp Crame, Quezon City for analysis and identification.

“We still have not established if the pieces of bones we recovered on Tuesday are human skeletons,” Magdaluyo told The STAR.

He said Villanueva has been on the police list of missing persons since 2003, as well as a certain Mang Tomas from Rosario, Cavite.

The CIDG said Villanueva was a cook at the Manila Polo Club, whom Bae allegedly killed in 2003 for duping him in connection with his fighting cocks.

Magdaluyo said the two missing persons were allegedly killed by Bae and buried at the vacant lot near his house.

He said Lopez told investigators during the interrogation that there are skeletal remains in Bae’s backyard.

Magdaluyo said Lopez was not part of the crime.

Lopez, who was charged with 11 counts of multiple murders and multiple frustrated murder and illegal possession of firearms, has been helping authorities dig up more information about Bae’s past crimes.