The hair strands recovered from an abandoned vehicle supposedly linked to the disappearance of Miss Grand Philippines 2023 candidate Catherine Camilon matched with the DNA profile of her parents, a ranking police official said on Tuesday.
PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo, in a press briefing in Camp Crame, Quezon City, said this was based on the results of the DNA test disclosed to her by the PNP Forensics Group (FG) in a meeting.
‘Ito pong positive match doon sa DNA profile sa magulang ng nawawalang bitkima ay isa lang ibig sabihin nun — na ‘yung ating biktima ay sumakay or at least naisakay or present siya doon, nagpapatunay na nandoon siya, naisakay siya doon sa recovered (Honda) CRV (The positive match on the DNA profile of the parents of the missing victim means that the she was in the vehicle or she was present there),’ she added.
The blood specimen recovered from the vehicle, meanwhile, is still undergoing examination, Fajardo said, adding investigators were also looking into forensic evidence t
o identify the possible suspects in Camilon’s disappearance.
‘Malaki ang maitutulong (n)ito dahil kung matatandaan niyo may lumutang na dalawang witness na nagsasabi na may tatlo silang kalalakihan na nakita na may inililipat na isang duguang babae mula sa isang Nissan Juke papunta sa red CRV (This is a positive development because if you would recall, there were two witnesses who said that they saw a bloodied female being transferred from a Nissan Juke to a red Honda CRV,),’ Fajardo told reporters.
The Nissan Juke was the vehicle being driven by Camilon before she went missing last month.
Members of the Batangas City police recovered the red Honda CRV on a road leading to Bauan town on Nov. 8.
Fajardo said one of the three men that the two police witnesses said was the personal driver of Maj. Alan de Castro, one of the suspects in the case.
De Castro and three others were charged with kidnapping and serious illegal detention in connection with Camilon’s disappearance.
Police, however, said they are sti
ll treating Camilon as a missing person.
Camilon was last seen in a mall in Lemery, Batangas on Oct. 12. Before her disapperance, Camilon also called up her family to say she was in Bauan and was going to a meeting in Batangas City.
The PNP earlier filed kidnapping and serious illegal detention charges against de Castro, his driver/ bodyguard Jeffrey Magpantay and two other John Does in relation to Camilon’s case.
De Castro admitted to having an illicit affair with Camilon but refused to comment on his alleged involvement in her disappearance.
Source Philippines News Agency
