Four suspects in the killing of beauty queen Geneva Lopez and her Israeli boyfriend Yitshak Cohen were arrested in Tarlac, according to a report by Teleradyo Serbisyo on March 20. Police Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo confirmed that among those arrested was the alleged mastermind of the crime. According to the PNP, the mastermind of the crime last met with the victims before they were reported missing on June 21.
Lopez's belongings, including his ID, were found in a burning vehicle in Capas, Tarlac the next day. On July 6, two bodies were found in a remote area, confirmed to be Lopez and Cohen. Two days later, the DILG announced the suspects in a press conference, including former police officers Michael Guiang and Rommel Aboso, as well as civilian Jeffrey Santos.
According to DILG Sec. Benhur Abalos, two more surrendered to the police identified as aliases "Junjun" and "Dondon". It was learned that Guiang and Aboso were AWOL from service in 2020 and 2019. According to PNP-CIDG Director Leo Francisco, the three suspects are already detained for other cases, including illegal possession of firearms and explosives.
The victims' families are grateful for the arrest of the suspects, but they said they are not ready to forgive. The search is still on for one suspect who escaped. Meanwhile, Lopez was representing Sto. Tomas, Pampanga in the Mutya ng Pilipinas Pampanga 2024 before the incident.
