Three men have surrendered to police in connection with the killing of a 27-year-old cattle trader whose body was recovered from a shallow grave in General Santos City, ending a four-day search that began when the victim failed to return home.
According to GMA Regional TV One Mindanao, investigators identified the deceased as a former overseas Filipino worker in New Zealand who later went into the cattle trade and lived in Barangay San Isidro. He was last seen on June 24, 2026, after setting out to purchase livestock from an online agent he had arranged to meet in Barangay Ligaya.
Police said the victim was carrying more than P200,000 for the transaction when he left. His family grew alarmed when he stopped communicating, and his motorcycle was later found abandoned in Barangay Alegria in Alabel, Sarangani. During the search, relatives questioned the agent involved, who claimed to have no knowledge of the man’s whereabouts.
The remains, already decomposing, were unearthed in Barangay Ligaya on Saturday night after residents reported a foul odor coming from the spot where the body had been buried. The discovery, reported by GMA correspondent Efren Mamac, prompted authorities to launch a hot pursuit operation.
A 19-year-old suspect gave himself up on Sunday night, followed roughly two hours later by another 19-year-old. A third suspect, aged 26, surrendered on Monday. Among those who turned themselves in was the same agent who had earlier denied knowing where the victim was.
Police Major Renato Dunca Jr., commander of General Santos City Police Station 3, said the suspects confessed to ambushing the victim once he reached the meeting area. He described how the third suspect lay in wait before striking the man with a hammer.
The victim’s family suggested the attackers may have turned violent after he deducted one suspect’s outstanding debt from the earnings that man stood to make from the cattle sale.
No cash was recovered from the body, according to authorities, and the suspects denied taking any money from the victim, even as the more than P200,000 he reportedly carried remains unaccounted for.
