Car Sales Agent Arrested in Policewoman, Son Murder Case

A car sales agent linked to the killing of Philippine policewoman Diane Marie Mollenido and her eight-year-old son is now in the custody of the Philippine National Police (PNP), following a week-long investigation that spanned Metro Manila, Bulacan, Tarlac and Pampanga. Authorities say the pair were lured into a private vehicle transaction that ended in what investigators are treating as a double murder.

The arrests, confirmed over the weekend, close a critical chapter in a case that has unsettled both the police force and the public, exposing the risks of informal car sales and the brutality that can unfold behind routine dealings.

A routine car sale turns fatal

On January 16, 2026, Police Senior Master Sergeant Diane Marie Mollenido, 38, and her son John Ysmael, 8, left their home in Taguig City to meet a car agent in Barangay San Agustin, Novaliches, Quezon City. The meeting was meant to finalise the sale of the family’s Toyota Innova for ₱450,000.

They never returned.

Three days later, Mollenido’s husband reported them missing. What began as a search operation soon transformed into a homicide investigation, as grim discoveries emerged from neighbouring provinces.

Grisly discoveries in Bulacan and Tarlac

Mollenido’s decomposed body was found on January 24 in a creek along the Pulilan–Baliuag Bypass Road in Bulacan, wrapped in cloth, plastic and black garbage bags. Forensic examination later confirmed she had been killed by a gunshot wound to the head.

Five days later, farm workers in Victoria, Tarlac, discovered the body of her son abandoned in a calamansi plantation, similarly wrapped and taped. Police said the child died of asphyxiation, likely suffocated.

The geographical spread of the bodies—discarded like unwanted cargo across rural roads and farmland—underscored the calculated effort to conceal the crime.

Suspects arrested in Quezon City

Late on January 30, police teams arrested three suspects in separate operations in Novaliches. Those taken into custody were:

• Pia Katrina Chua Panganiban, the car agent who allegedly arranged the meeting;
• Christian Suarez Panganiban, her husband, a dismissed police officer; and
• Gil Valdemoro Dy Jr., identified as an accomplice and motorcycle rider.

Authorities recovered the victims’ mobile phones, ₱100,000 in cash and identification cards during the operations. A silver SUV believed to have been used to transport and dump the bodies was seized in Pampanga and is now undergoing forensic examination.

The stolen Toyota Innova was later traced to Baguio City by the PNP Highway Patrol Group.

PNP vows accountability and justice

PNP Acting Chief Police General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said a Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) was immediately formed, drawing resources from the National Capital Region Police Office and Police Regional Office 3.

“We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident. Ang buong PNP ay nakikiramay sa pamilya ng biktima sa panahong ito ng matinding kalungkutan,” Nartatez said, expressing condolences while assuring the public of a thorough investigation.

The involvement of a dismissed police officer among the suspects, he added, would not soften the PNP’s approach. Investigators are preparing double murder charges under the Revised Penal Code as evidence is consolidated.

A warning etched in grief

Beyond the courtroom, the case has struck a deeper chord. For many ordinary Filipinos, selling a car privately is a practical way to raise cash quickly. In this instance, police say, the transaction became a trap.

The deaths of a mother and child—one a serving police officer—have sharpened anxieties about personal safety in everyday dealings, particularly for parents navigating the city with their children. Rural communities in Bulacan and Tarlac, where the bodies were found, have also voiced unease after the violence briefly intruded into their fields and waterways.

As the suspects remain in custody, the investigation continues. For now, the case stands as a stark reminder that trust, once misplaced, can carry an unforgiving cost.