This woman, identified as Daniela Bernado, was described as cheerful, loving, and full of dreams. Her parents supported her life goals. Although not wealthy, the Bernado family did everything to send all their children to school. According to reports, her parents lived quietly and simply in Barangay Santo Cristo in Tabaco, Albay. She attended Tabaco National High School. Like many teenagers today, the 18-year-old Daniela was not only busy with school but also active on social media.

Besides frequently posting, she was often seen online with friends. Because she was friendly, she made a lot of friends in and outside school. After graduating high school, she stayed in their province, helped her mother with household chores, and started a small business selling brownies. During her free time, she also volunteered to care for her nieces and nephews.

But on June 20, her family began to worry when they could no longer contact her. She was missing. Her friends posted online, saying she had not been reachable for more than 24 hours, asking anyone with information to let them know. Even her cousins who lived outside Albay joined the search. Her mother couldn’t stop crying, fearing something terrible had happened.

The family traced her last known location and tried to find out whom she was last with—but nothing. What should have been just a missing person case turned into a homicide on June 22. Daniela had been found dead. People grieved, and her wake was attended by many. Her former school released a public message. They also shared a donation number to help cover funeral expenses.

Her classmates and friends were shocked and saddened, but it was her family who were devastated when they learned what had happened. The hashtag #JusticeForDaniela trended. Even their local councilor visited her wake. Her family thanked those who helped. Her coffin was never opened due to the condition of the body—badly decomposed. It was an emotional burial, and her family publicly demanded justice.

Some speculated online that Daniela was a victim of a drug addict or someone envious. But investigators quickly dismissed those angles. Her body was found in Barangay Pawa, just 10 minutes from home. A landowner showed the media where the body had been buried. When Daniela was found, she was already decomposing and emitted a foul odor.

According to her mother, Daniela was buried with her arms raised, and her sister said she was allegedly buried naked. Days after the body was found, the family blamed and cursed a man named Aaron Cordes, a neighbor and schoolmate. He had no online presence because he deactivated his accounts when the news broke.

Someone who claimed to be his classmate said Cordes was arrogant, boastful, and a bully. He was a criminology student, aspiring to become a policeman. Reports later confirmed that Daniela and Cordes had been in a relationship. On June 20 at around 7 PM, he fetched Daniela from home, saying they would visit his uncle in Barangay Pawa. The family allowed her to go.

But the next morning, Daniela never came home. The family couldn’t contact Cordes either. None of her friends had seen her that day. Her family went to the police and requested help in searching the land of Cordes’ uncle. With no search warrant, the uncle allowed them to enter, but Daniela wasn’t found—only a pair of her underwear was discovered outside the house, raising serious suspicion.

When the Bernado family got home, they intensified their appeal on social media. But that same evening, Cordes, accompanied by his parents, surrendered to the police and confessed that he knew where Daniela was. Late that night, authorities and SOCO returned to the uncle’s land. Cordes led them to the burial site near the banana trees. A foul smell quickly rose as they dug, confirming it was Daniela’s body.

The morgue advised the family to complete the wake within two days due to the body’s condition. During the wake, her mother revealed that Daniela was pregnant, likely three months. This made the crime even more tragic—two lives lost. People online called for the return of the death penalty.

In his sworn statement, Cordes claimed it was self-defense. He said they were happy when they arrived at the house, but later had a fight. He didn’t say what they argued about, only that it escalated physically and he strangled her. After realizing she was dead, he buried her 30 meters from the house, covered the grave with banana leaves.

Daniela’s relatives believe she might have told him she was pregnant, which triggered him. If he couldn’t accept becoming a father, he should’ve walked away. Cordes has since been charged with murder, but during the inquest, the charge was downgraded to homicide, due to lack of clear evidence of premeditation.

Prosecutors explained this doesn’t mean denying justice; it simply means the evidence presented didn’t prove Cordes had planned the murder. They need texts, internet searches, or chat messages to support a murder charge. Without those, digital forensics will be key.

Some speculated Daniela lied about being pregnant to trap Cordes into marrying her. Whether she was pregnant or not—murder is murder, intentional or not, and the law must be followed.

The autopsy result has yet to be released publicly. If investigators rely solely on Cordes’ statement, there’s a risk he might later recant it. At Daniela’s funeral, people brought tarpaulins demanding justice. The Bernado family still struggles to accept what happened. Cordes’ mother spoke to the press and apologized, but people ignored her—the pain was still too raw.