A Bacolod police officer who confessed to killing a 42-year-old woman will be investigated by the National Police Commission (Napolcom) on orders of Commissioner Rafael Vicente Calinisan.
Police identified the victim as Kristine Joy Dignadice, whose sedan was found abandoned and blood-stained in Hinigaran, Negros Occidental, on Oct. 29.
On Saturday, the suspect, who was not named by the police, confessed to the disappearance and killing of the victim after turning himself in to the director of the Negros Island Police Regional Office, Brig Gen. Arnold Thomas Ibay, the police office said.
The authorities have yet to determine the motive behind the crime, the police added.
During his surrender, the officer also volunteered the whereabouts of the victim’s body, police reported.
Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) and the Special Investigation Team have begun search and recovery operations to find the victim’s remains, the Napolcom said. The suspect’s surrender was a ‘significant breakthrough,’ Ibay said, promising transparency in the investigation.
‘There will be no cover-up. We will let the evidence speak for itself. The full force of the law will be applied regardless of who is involved. Justice will be served to the victim and her family,’ Ibay said in a statement.
‘We owe it to the public we serve to demonstrate that no one is above the law. We will make sure that this case is pursued with fairness, professionalism, and compassion for the victim’s family,’ he added.