Tricycle driver nabbed for robbing, murdering woman in Cebu
Published May 28, 2026 06:06 pm
CEBU CITY – A tablet, a portable electronic device, led to the arrest of a tricycle suspected to be behind the gruesome killing of a 19-year-old woman in Alcoy, Cebu.
Police said Anthony Antig, 42, admitted fatally stabbing Jeani Pyrll Oropesa Belardo before dumping her in a grassy area in Barangay Poblacion.
The woman’s decomposing body was found on Thursday morning, May 28.
Police said the victim was last seen alive riding the suspect’s tricycle on Saturday, May 23.
The woman’s live-in partner, a foreigner, reported her missing to the Alcoy Police Station when she failed to return three days after she left home. Authorities tried to locate her but failed.
While the woman’s disappearance was being investigated, police learned she had a tablet with her.
The foreigner was advised to locate the tablet through the Global Positioning System (GPS).
Efforts to track down the location of the tablet led the police to Dalaguete town, Cebu.
The tablet was recovered from a resident who bought the gadget from a certain “Abat.” Further investigation revealed that Antig was known as Abat in their area.
On Thursday morning, Police Major Jose Nilo Abella, chief of the Alcoy police, said they received a report about the discovery of a cadaver.
Police brought the victim’s relatives to the area where the body was found. They confirmed that the body is Belardo’s.
Police went to the suspect’s house and arrested him while he and his family were about to leave for Dalaguete.
A knife believed to have been used in the killing was also recovered, police said. Police said the body will be autopsied to determine if she was sexually abused.
Abello said the suspect was also accused of attempting to rape two women in separate incidents but no charges were filed against him. There were also reports that the suspect is drug user, Abello said.