Jamaine Punzalan

Article (news)

Christopher Sitson

ABS-CBN News

<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Freel%2F1395707898947659%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=560&amp;t=0" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br/></div><p>MANILA — The estranged husband of a slain policewoman confirmed Friday that the body <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/1/29/missing-son-of-slain-policewoman-found-dead-in-tarlac-2007">found in a calamansi farm </a>in Victoria, Tarlac was their missing eight-year-old son.</p><p>Police Senior Master Sergeant Diane Marie Mollenido was reported missing before her decomposing body was discovered along the Pulilan–Baliuag Bypass Road in Pulilan, Bulacan. Her remains were wrapped in cloth, placed inside a black garbage bag, and covered with plastic.</p><p>Authorities had searched for her son, John Ysmael, who was last seen with her.</p><p>Before dawn on Friday, the child’s father John Mollenido and several relatives arrived at a funeral home in Tarlac City, where the body found in a calamansi farm had been brought. He confirmed that the child was his son.  </p><p>“Base po sa huling suot niya, sa gamit niya, sapatos, build ng katawan, tapos ‘yung mukha ma-identify pa naman. Hindi ko kaya siyang tingnan nang ganun katagal,” Mollenido said.</p><p>Mollenido said he and his wife were separated, but he still spent time with Ysmael every week. He shared that his son, the second of three siblings, had dreamed of becoming a pilot.</p><p>“Maraming pangarap ‘yung batang ‘yun. Maraming pinangako sa akin. ‘Pag nakahawak ng cellphone ‘yun, hindi maaaring hindi mag-message sa akin—talagang makulit. Manghihingi ng pagkain, ‘yun lang naman gusto nun,” he said. </p><p>“‘Yung huling usap nga namin, bibili na nga raw niya ako ng sports car tsaka bahay,” he added.</p><p>The father said he had hoped his son was still alive, but now that it has been confirmed that the child had been killed, he appealed for justice. </p><p>“Hindi ko pa nga tanggap. Hoping pa nga ako na buhay ‘yung anak ko. Sana mabigyan ng hustisya. Hindi niya deserve ‘yung ginawa sa kaniya. Masakit na masakit na masakit,” Mollenido lamented.</p><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:560px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:493px;height:278px;display:block;flex-grow:1" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=2017018442474541442&amp;lang=en&amp;maxWidth=560px&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aod2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2026-01-30T00%3A00%3A53.862797%3A37121a79-5ff8-4879-bc51-4d895f1871be%26action%3Dcorrect&amp;sessionId=7c4a44a663baf5a38189062d03a1cb9bc692d9c4&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px" data-tweet-id="2017018442474541442"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><p>Mollenido is one of two individuals considered as persons of interest (POI) by the police.</p><p>“Sa akin okay lang. Nakikipag-cooperate naman ako. Hindi naman ako nagtatago; narito ako ‘pag may mga tanong sila, sinasagot ko naman. Normal lang po ‘yun kasi may hindi rin kami pagkakaintindihan,” he said. </p><p>He called on the<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/1/28/police-eye-another-person-of-interest-in-slaying-of-policewoman-1813"> car agent </a>of his wife — the second POI—to come forward and cooperate.</p><p>The policewoman was last seen alive in the car agent’s house. On Thursday, authorities found traces of what appeared to be blood inside the house. </p><p>John said he could not yet provide a possible motive behind the brutal fate of his wife and son and was leaving the investigation to the police.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>INVESTIGATION </strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Victoria police chief PMaj. Marty Calara said the area where John Ysmael was found was grassy and isolated. </p><p>The body was not immediately detected by smell because it was tightly wrapped in plastic. </p><p>“Kasi kung makikita niyo ‘yung bahaging iyon, madamo, hindi mo talaga siya makikita. So it happened na may naggagapas ng damo roon, kaya nakita niya,” the police officer said. </p><p>“Maayos ‘yung pagkaka-wrap. Kahit malapit na kami roon nung pinuntahan namin, hindi namin maamoy. As in walang odor; balot siya mula paa hanggang ulo,” Calara added.</p><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FabscbnNEWS%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0ErwyVfodP3RQcQrbMebYmNQDK1tEy8MV4pjxnCnRteZJG9VcbGYuWAF2kweuAGbyl&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="811" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p>According to Barangay Maluid Chairman Sandy Torres, who owns the calamansi farm, the area where Ysmael was found was near a public road. </p><p>“Yung nakita riyan pahaba na balot ng plastic so nagduda siya—mukhang tao ha. Hindi mo po maaamoy ‘yun kasi balot na balot po siya ng plastic, unless malapitan mo. Ito pong daang ito ay public. Lusutan ng ibang barangay din po,” Torres said. </p><p>“Ngayon lang may nangyaring ganito sa barangay namin. Siguro dahil napansin nila malayo na sa highway,” he added. </p><p>IInvestigators are analyzing CCTV footage to identify those behind the crime. </p><p>“Sa ngayon, wala pa tayong concrete details kung sino ‘yung posibleng may gawa. Magko-coordinate tayo sa concerned agencies para mag-backtrack sa mga CCTV sa possible na sasakyang ginamit doon,” Calara said. </p><p>“‘Yun lang ang susi para malaman natin kung sino ang may-ari at anong sasakyan ang ginamit sa pag-dump ng cadaver,” he added. </p><p>John Ysmael’s body is undergoing an autopsy to determine the cause of his death. </p><div><br style="caret-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"/></div>

<p>The estranged husband of a slain policewoman confirmed Friday that the body found in a calamansi farm in Victoria, Tarlac was their missing eight-year-old son.</p>

The estranged husband of a slain policewoman confirmed Friday that the body found in a calamansi farm in Victoria, Tarlac was their missing eight-year-old son.

‘Sana mabigyan ng hustisya’: Slain policewoman’s estranged husband confirms child found dead in Tarlac farm is their missing son

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‘Sana mabigyan ng hustisya’: Slain policewoman’s estranged husband confirms child found dead in Tarlac farm is their missing son

Christopher Sitson,

ABS-CBN News

Published January 30, 2026 08:05 AM PHT

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Updated January 30, 2026 08:09 AM PHT

Read More:

mollenido

john ysmael

tarlac

victoria

body

found

calamansi farm

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