The decomposing body of an 8-year-old boy was recovered on Thursday afternoon in a calamansi farm in Barangay Maluid, Victoria, Tarlac, police said, ending a harrowing week-long search for the child who disappeared with his mother.
Authorities responded to a report from a local resident who found the body wrapped in tape at around 2:50 p.m. Police were alerted at about 4 p.m.
Investigators have yet to release an official forensic identification, but family members and police sources indicated that the remains are those of John Ysmael Mollenido, the missing son of Police Senior Master Sergeant Diane Marie Mollenido.
The boy and his mother were reported missing after Mollenido’s body was found in a creek in Pulilan, Bulacan, on 24 January. She had sustained a fatal gunshot wound.
Authorities have described her death as a homicide, prompting a wider search for the child.
Officials are coordinating with Taguig City police and forensic teams to confirm the boy’s identity and establish the timeline of events. No personal belongings were recovered at the farm.
Police have also appealed to the public for any information that could help unravel the circumstances surrounding the case.
The investigation continues as law enforcement authorities work to trace CCTV footage and pursue leads that could shed light on how the victims were transported from their last known locations to where their bodies were discovered.