The double murder case involving National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) officer Senior Master Sgt. Diane Mollenido and her son, John Ysmael, has been considered closed, Jonvic Remulla, Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), announced during a press briefing on Tuesday morning.
“According to our investigation, this is considered case closed and charges will be filed,” Remulla said.
Remulla identified four suspects in the case: Gil Valdemoro Dy Jr., 41; Pia Katrina Chua Panganiban, 29; dismissed police officer Christian Suarez Panganiban, 44; and his sibling, Maribel Suarez Panganiban, also known as “Be.”
Meanwhile, Diane Mollenido’s estranged husband and John Ysmael’s father, John Mollenido, remains under restrictive custody following what authorities described as questionable actions. These included his alleged insistence on the immediate cremation of his ex-wife’s remains and his reported refusal to allow an autopsy.
Authorities also raised concerns over John Mollenido’s apparent lack of remorse following the deaths of his former partner and son, noting that he appeared more focused on filing carnapping charges rather than pursuing the homicide investigation.
Remulla detailed the sequence of events, from the killings of the mother and son to the disposal of their bodies and the suspects’ subsequent movements.
Investigators said the primary perpetrators were identified as Mollenido’s wedding godchildren, Pia and Christian, with Valdemoro Dy acting as an accomplice and Maribel present at the crime scene.
Pia allegedly served as a middleman between a car buyer and Diane Mollenido, who was selling her Toyota Innova for P450,000. The transaction was reportedly completed successfully.
On the evening of January 16, 2026, Diane and her son went to the Panganiban residence in Novaliches, Quezon City, to collect the payment for the vehicle. Authorities said they were unaware that the meeting would lead to their deaths.
“Diane Marie Mollenido was killed by a gunshot wound to the head while she was seated,” Remulla said.
“Her son, John Ysmael, had his head covered with a plastic bag and died due to asphyxiation by strangulation,” he added.
Authorities said the killings occurred while the couple’s three children, aged 10, eight, and six, were inside the house.
Investigators said the suspects later sought the assistance of Valdemoro Dy in disposing of the bodies, which were placed at the back of a Toyota Fortuner. The suspects reportedly left the vehicle with the three children and initially planned to travel to Baguio City.
Instead, authorities said the group stayed overnight at a motel in Fairview, Quezon City, before traveling to Pansol, Laguna, and eventually returning to their residence.
Diane Mollenido’s body was discovered on January 24 along the Pulilan Bypass Road in Bulacan. Her son’s remains were found five days later at a calamansi farm in Victoria, Tarlac.
Investigators also revealed that the Toyota Fortuner used in the crime was later abandoned in Phase 10, Sakura Street, Deca Clark, Barangay Margot, Angeles City, Pampanga.