In an instant, the dreams of two graduating students from Butuan and Albay vanished completely.
Both girls were supposed to graduate as cum laude, but none of that would come true anymore due to a horrifying crime.

The first female victim in our story is identified as Reya Boneo, 22 years old. Reya was from Bakay, Albay, and was born on January 22, 2000. She was the second of four siblings and the only daughter of her parents. Simple, hardworking, and intelligent — that’s how Reya’s family described her.

Since childhood, Reya had always received various awards for her academic excellence. Growing up in a life of poverty, she had big dreams of lifting her family out of hardship. When she reached college, Reya took up BS Accountancy at the Divine Word College of Legazpi in Legazpi City.

Reya’s mother worked at a tailoring shop, while her older brother worked in a canteen to help support her education. For the Boneo family, Reya was their hope to rise out of poverty. That’s why the whole family worked together to support her studies — especially since she was a bright student.

In order to graduate, Reya made many sacrifices and focused deeply on her studies. She became a working student and even the breadwinner of her family. She worked as a student assistant at her school and also had a job at the Department of Labor and Employment in their town.

Reya juggled work and school so she could help her family. She was set to graduate cum laude on July 7, 2022. But a month before her graduation, all her hopes and dreams vanished like a puff of smoke.

On January 5, 2022, around 5 PM, Reya told her mother, Francea, that she would go to town to cash out PHP 500 sent by her brother. Reya planned to use the money for transportation to her school. She was accompanied by her mother and her youngest sibling, Rolly.

Even before they left, Rolly was already complaining that he didn’t want to go, but he was forced by Francea to come along. While walking together, Rolly once again complained that he wanted to go back home. Their mother then asked Reya to wait until the next day to get the money instead, since it was difficult to bring Rolly along.

But Reya insisted. She told her mother that she would just go by herself because she needed the money. At first, Francea didn’t agree to let Reya go alone. But Reya reasoned that it was still bright outside, she would get the money quickly, and be back home soon.

Reya managed to convince her mother to let her go alone, so she headed to town by herself.
Hours passed, but Reya still hadn’t returned home. Her mother, Francea, began to worry about where her daughter might be. She tried calling Reya several times, but the young woman didn’t answer.

Around 9:00 PM, Reya’s younger brother arrived home from work. Francea thought Reya might be with him, but he said she hadn’t shown up at his workplace at all. That’s when Francea began to feel a deep sense of dread — a mother’s instinct told her something was wrong.

Francea, along with Reya’s brother, went out to search for her. They visited Reya’s best friend and asked if she had seen her, but the friend said Reya hadn’t been by her house either. Francea and her son then went into town, but Reya was nowhere to be found.

Even their relatives joined the search, combing through nearby areas despite the late hour. For over two hours, Francea and Reya’s uncle scoured the dense, wooded areas. Eventually, they noticed traces of blood, which they followed, trying to find where it was coming from.

Moments later, Reya’s uncle and brother discovered her lifeless body lying on the ground.
Francea could barely recognize her daughter due to the extent of the injuries. The scene was heartbreaking. Reya had multiple wounds on her face and body. The family was devastated and could not accept what had happened.

Other members of the search party immediately contacted the police. Around midnight on June 6, 2022, Bakapay police responded to the crime scene in Barangay Hindi, Bacacay. When officers arrived, they found Reya’s lifeless body.

The first motive the police considered was robbery, since Reya’s phone was missing.
Her shirt was pulled up, and her pants were torn when she was found. An autopsy revealed that she had suffered severe trauma, which led to her death. Tragically, the results also showed that she had been sexually assaulted — Reya, who was just about to graduate as a cum laude.

Police launched an investigation right away.

According to authorities, the place where Reya was found is a common path for residents traveling to the highway or back home. It was confirmed that Reya never made it to town and didn’t get the chance to cash out the money her brother had sent.
She also had defensive wounds, indicating that she fought back against her attacker.

During the investigation, a witness named Joshua came forward. He said he passed by the area around 6 PM and saw a man coming out of the woods wearing a yellow shirt. Joshua noticed the man’s clothes were stained with blood, and he was carrying a bolo knife.

Other residents mentioned that on the morning of June 5, there was an incident in Purok Uno, where a man went on a rampage. The man was identified as Ariel Marbella, 24 years old.
They said Ariel had been drinking with a group of men and got into a fight with one of them.

According to both the witness’s description and the statements of local residents, it appeared that they were all referring to the same man. Because of this, police theorized that there was a strong possibility that the suspect in Reya’s murder was Ariel.

On the morning of June 6, witness Joshua was summoned to the Bacacay Police Station. There, police showed him a photo and asked him to identify the man he saw. Joshua positively identified Ariel as the blood-stained man he had seen coming out of the forest.

It was later discovered that Ariel had a previous criminal record for robbery back in 2019, and was already listed in police records. Based on Joshua’s testimony, Ariel was officially declared the primary suspect in Reya’s case.

Further investigation revealed that Ariel had been a classmate of Reya’s older brother. When police went to Ariel’s house to apprehend him, he was nowhere to be found and had reportedly been missing for several days. This only strengthened suspicions that Ariel was guilty and was now in hiding.

Police then scoured the entire town of Bacacay in search of the suspect. A hot pursuit operation was launched after receiving intel that Ariel was hiding in the forest, an area he knew well since he worked there as a woodcutter. Some local residents even volunteered to help the police search for the suspect.

At the same time, the local government of Bacacay announced a ₱50,000 reward for anyone who could provide information about Ariel’s whereabouts.

News of Reya’s tragic death spread quickly, and many expressed their condolences to her family. Social media was flooded with posts mourning her loss, with friends and community members sharing fond memories of Reya — a kind and hardworking young woman.

Among those deeply grieving was Reya’s boyfriend, John Luis. Even though he was working abroad, John did everything he could to return to the Philippines to say goodbye to his beloved.

At Reya’s wake, John sang and offered flowers to her. He struggled immensely to accept her untimely death, especially since they had planned to get married after Reya graduated.

For Reya’s mother, Francea, her world seemed to have stopped. She said she had worked so hard to raise Reya, and never even allowed a mosquito to land on her daughter — that’s how much she protected and loved her.

“Justice” was the cry of everyone who knew Reya. And on June 8, 2022, three days after the crime, police finally found Ariel deep in the forest. According to the authorities, the community played a big role in locating him. Ariel was found shirtless, but the police didn’t waste any time and immediately brought him to the police station.

When Reya’s family found out that Ariel had been arrested, they went to the station to see the suspect in person. At the station, Ariel denied all accusations, claiming he was innocent and that he only hid in the forest out of fear of the police. He insisted that he had nothing to do with the crime.

However, to the police, the witness testimony of Joshua was enough to link Ariel to Reya’s murder. Ariel was formally charged with rape and homicide, and was detained at the Bacacay Police Station.

Police believe Ariel saw Reya walking alone along the path near the forest and took advantage of the opportunity. He possibly forced her into a remote part of the woods, where he committed the crime. After sexually assaulting and killing her, Ariel also stole Reya’s phone. The police theorized that due to Ariel’s drunkenness and uncontrollable anger, he vented his rage on Reya, who was a graduating student at the time.

Meanwhile, after Ariel’s arrest, another woman came forward, claiming that she too was almost victimized by Ariel the previous year. According to her, Ariel hit her with a hard object, but thankfully she fought back and managed to escape.

On June 17, 2022, Reya’s family sought help from a senator’s program to speed up the legal proceedings. During the program, it was revealed that the weapon used in the crime had still not been recovered. According to the chief of Bacacay police, Ariel kept changing his story—sometimes denying the crime, other times admitting he had killed Reya.

A relative of Reya also mentioned on the program that there were rumors in their community suggesting two other possible suspects. However, the police chief denied this, calling it mere gossip. He added that Ariel’s drinking companions did not mention any plans or premeditation, so the police concluded that Reya was randomly targeted, and that she and Ariel had no prior connection before the crime.

Months later, the senator’s program provided assistance to Reya’s family. The senator personally took care of the wake and funeral expenses. The family was also given a small business, including a sari-sari store and a rolling pares food cart for Reya’s older brother.

The food cart was named after Reya, as a way to honor her memory. Everything needed to start the business was also purchased and provided through the program.

The family of Reya expressed deep gratitude for the help they received. On June 23, 2022, Reya was finally laid to rest, and a large crowd came to support and accompany her family to the church. Everyone wore white T-shirts with the words “Justice for Reya” printed on them. The ceremony was filled with tears, accompanied by a heavy downpour of rain.

One of the most heartbreaking moments at the church was when John gave Reya his final embrace and glance. He kissed his beloved and stood by her side for a while, tears streaming down his face. June 7, 2022, was supposed to be Reya’s graduation day. Her mother Fransa, along with John and Reya’s family, attended the event.

It was heart-wrenching to witness Fransa and John marching to the stage, carrying Reya’s standee and portrait. When they went up, Fransa accepted Reya’s diploma on her behalf—Reya was supposed to graduate with honors. The bright future that once awaited Reya will never come to pass.

The family wished that Ariel would never be released from prison, so that he would spend the rest of his life paying for his crime. If Ariel is found guilty, he could be sentenced to life imprisonment according to the law.

The Second Victim: Rezalyn

The second victim in this story is Rezalyn, a 22-year-old young woman from Sibagat, Agusan del Sur. She was the only child of her parents, and her father was a farmer. Rezalyn was deeply loved by her father and often called “daddy’s girl.” Despite their simple life, their family was filled with love.

Rezalyn was a consistent honor student, which made her parents very proud. She was known to be responsible, intelligent, and kind, according to her friends. She was active in volleyball and loved posting photos on social media. Rezalyn had a passion for children and dreamed of becoming a teacher.

In college, she took up Bachelor of Elementary Education at Caraga State University. It was already her final year, and she was on track to graduate as a cum laude.

November 25, 2023

Her family was busy preparing for her father’s birthday celebration, which was held at their home. What should have been a joyful occasion turned into a tragic crime.

Rezalyn’s father, a kind and friendly man, even invited their new neighbor, a man named Ricky Abbarquez, 34 years old, originally from Pagadian City, who had just moved into their neighborhood.

Ricky often chatted with Rezalyn’s father and had even joined him at work a few times. When Ricky arrived at their home, he helped with the preparations and was assigned to cook the rice for the celebration.

Because they were expecting many guests, the rice was cooked in a large pot, using a local cooking process called “buyo.” First, water is boiled, then the washed rice is added gradually. However, Rezalyn noticed that Ricky didn’t wash the rice before cooking it.

She called him out for it and asked why he didn’t wash it. Ricky seemed to take offense, but he remained silent when Rezalyn reprimanded him. Despite this, the celebration continued after all the food was prepared. Many people attended, including Rezalyn’s friends, so she was busy entertaining them.

After the meal, Rezalyn’s father and his guests, including Ricky, began drinking alcohol. As the night went on, the guests started leaving one by one, as they became heavily intoxicated. Eventually, even Rezalyn’s father excused himself to go to bed.

Relyn and Ricky were the only ones still awake. At that time, Relyn began cleaning the table, unaware that Ricky was following her. When she went to the kitchen, Ricky suddenly attacked her with a sharp weapon. He struck Relyn without warning and continued his assault multiple times until the young student eventually lost her life.

It was truly heartbreaking what happened to helpless Relyn. Ricky immediately fled after committing the crime. A few hours later, Relyn’s lifeless body was discovered inside their home. During the police investigation, it was revealed that Ricky was the only guest left in their house that night.

Following a follow-up operation, the authorities arrested Ricky at his home the same day. At first, he denied the crime, but based on strong evidence held by the police, it was clear he was the suspect. Eventually, Ricky confessed to killing the victim.

According to reports, the weapon used was taken by Ricky from Relyn’s own kitchen. After the crime, he returned home to take a bath, then buried his bloodstained clothes along with Relyn’s cellphone in the backyard of his house. The police later recovered the clothes and the phone.

Ricky said he harbored resentment toward Relyn because she embarrassed him for not washing the rice properly. He felt that his pride and manhood were insulted by her words. Because of this petty reason, Ricky snapped.

On November 26, 2023, Ricky was charged with murder and placed under detention. It was also discovered that he had a previous case of illegal possession of firearms in Pagadian City. He had only been released on bail, which was why he was out and free.

It turns out that Ricky had just recently gotten out of jail when he moved to Relyn’s area. Authorities believe Ricky was under the influence of illegal drugs when he committed the murder.

The victim’s family is deeply devastated by what happened to their daughter, especially because it happened over such a senseless reason. Social media was flooded with messages of condolences for the cum laude graduating student, Relyn.

Even her school released a public statement expressing sympathy and support to Relyn’s family. As of now, Ricky remains in jail, and according to the law, he may face life imprisonment for the killing of Rezalyne.