Toledo mayor: P100K for info on suspect in lodging house murder

Mayor Marjorie Perales has put up a cash reward for info that can lead to arrest of suspect

Police continue their hunt for the man who was last seen with an 18-year-old girl checking in at a lodging house in Toledo City before she was found dead on September 20.

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The mayor of Toledo City in western Cebu has dangled a cash reward for anyone in the city who can provide information that will lead to the arrest of the suspect tagged in the gruesome killing of an 18-year-old girl in a lodging house.

Mayor Marjorie Perales announced that the city government would reward P100,000 to any individual who could give police leads to the suspect, identified as Lorben Larot, who had remained at large since the crime took place last September.

“(We will give an award of) P100,000 for the person who will be able to locate or tell us where the suspect is,” Perales said in a pre-recorded video published on Toledo City’s social media.

Those who would want to share information about the suspect’s whereabouts could proceed to the headquarters of the Toledo City Police Station, she added.

A grade-12 student from Toledo City identified as Mae Fatima Tagactac was found dead in a lodging house in Brgy. Sta. Ana after her family reported her missing for several days.

Investigations from the police, including surveillance footage from the establishment, showed the 18-year-old Tagactac had checked in at one of the rooms with an older man on September 19.

With the help of concerned citizens, police eventually identified him as Larot, a 43-year-old resident of Misamis Oriental.

Larot was seen leaving the lodging house but without Tagactac. One of the staff discovered the victim’s dead body when it was their schedule to check out of the room.

Police have been conducting a region-wide manhunt against Larot, who was believed to have already fled Cebu shortly after leaving Toledo City. / with reports from Emmariel Ares