DepEd liaison officer, wife found dead in Cebu


CEBU CITY – A liaison officer of the Department of Education (DepEd) in Minglanilla, Cebu and his wife who owned various businesses were found dead inside their vehicle in San Fernando, Cebu last Friday, June 18, two days after they were reported missing on Wednesday, June 16.

Police identified the victims as Gavino Sanchez, 49, liaison officer of the DepEd-Minglanilla, and Arlene Sanchez, a public school teacher at Tubod Elementary School in Minglanilla.

They were found lifeless Friday night inside their Mitsubishi Strada pickup in Tananas, a mountain barangay in San Fernando.

Gavino’s brother, a police major, reported the couple’s disappearance since last Wednesday.

GAVINO and Arlene Sanchez
Police said they received a report that the couple was abducted by armed men at about 4 p.m. last Wednesday.

Police Corporal Mario Paul Tino of the San Fernando Police Station said residents reported to the police a pickup truck by the road for past two days with the engine still on.

A stench emitting from the vehicle prompted some residents to check on the vehicle and found two bodies inside.

Police said some residents heard a burst of gunfire around 1 a.m. in the area where the vehicle was found. Found inside the vehicle were six empty shells from a still to be determined firearm.

A relative of the victims told the police that robbery could be the motive of the killing. The victims ran various businesses.

Police said the victims’ daughter reported to them that her father went home Wednesday night to get some cash and some valuables.

Gavino didn’t stay long in the house and told her daughter that her mother was waiting for him, police said.