The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group said on Wednesday that the family of missing beauty pageant candidate Catherine Camilon is willing to provide DNA samples to compare with the hair strands and blood found in a recently-abandoned vehicle that police discovered.

CIDG chief Maj. Gen. Romeo Caramat Jr. said that the family of Camilon has agreed to give their DNA samples after investigators found "17 hair strands and 12 swabs of blood samples" inside the red Honda CR-V found unattended at a vacant lot in Barangay Dumuclay, Batangas City without its plate numbers and conduction sticker last 9 November 2023.

"Another development is that the family of Camilon agreed already to give their DNA samples to match it with forensic evidence like the hair strands and blood found in the recovered vehicle," Caramat said.

"If the DNA matches, then we will be certain that we can confirm the earlier statements of witnesses that they saw the woman was being lifted from the Nissan Juke to the red Honda CRV," he added.

Caramat also said the police officer allegedly involved in Camilon's disappearance in Batangas City apologized to PNP chief Police General Benjamin Acorda Jr. for dragging the name of the PNP in the case.

He disclosed that he accompanied Maj. Allan de Castro as they went to the office of the PNP chief in Camp Crame on Wednesday morning to give an update on Camilon's case.

De Castro, assigned to the Police Regional Office- 4A and who is allegedly in a relationship with Camilon, is under restrictive custody at the Police Regional Office-4A headquarters.

The CIDG chief also said that when asked if he had any involvement in the disappearance of Camilon, the suspect "immediately answered us that he invoked his right to remain silent."

"We could not force him to say if he knows anything because we respect his constitutional rights by invoking his right to remain silent," said Caramat.

To recall, Camilon — a teacher and a native of Tuy town — was last seen alive last month at a mall in Lemery town. She also called up her family to say she was in Bauan and was going to a meeting in Batangas City.

Meanwhile, CIDG Calabarzon chief Col. Jacinto Malinao said they have started questioning the family members and a friend of missing Camilon to determine the possible motive behind her disappearance.

Malinao said the testimonies of Camilon's mother, her sister Chin-Chin, and her friend, a certain "Vanessa", confirmed that the victim was supposed to meet with her boyfriend, Maj. Allan de Castro in Batangas City on the day of her disappearance on 12 October.

Malinao said they were able to obtain screenshots of the exchange of messages of De Castro and Camilon which will be part of the evidence against the suspect.

"Based on the exchange of messages with her friend, it seems that Catherine was hurt and it seems De Castro was enraged when Catherine told de Castro's wife that he has another woman. When the suspect gets drunk, he also hurts Catherine and sometimes, she sustains bruises. This is the most visible motive that we see which prompted this incident," Malinao said.