2 sued in Ellah Joy kidnap-slay

CEBU, Philippines - Task Force Ellah Joy has filed a complaint for kidnapping with homicide against British national Ian Charles Griffiths and Bella Ruby Santos of Barangay Inayagan, Naga City, for the abduction and killing of Ellah Joy Pique, at the Regional Trial Court yesterday morning.

The head of Task Force Ellah Joy, Senior Supt. Louie Oppus also asked the prosecutor’s office for the immediate application and issuance of a Hold and Departure Order to prevent the suspects from leaving the country.

The complaint will be raffled on Monday.

Senior Supt. Patrocinio Comendador Jr., Cebu Provincial Police Office chief presented before the media the report that the task force gathered during the investigation.

“For almost two months the investigators of the task force working on the case painstakingly assembled the pieces of evidence to prove that Griffiths and Santos indeed committed the crime. The task force believes that it has given Ellah Joy and her family the justice that they deserve,” Comendador said.

According to the report, prior to Ellah Joy’s death, the house of Santos was a base of Cybersex operations. Hours before the kidnapping of Ellah Joy occurred on Feb. 8, the two suspects boarded a dark green Pajero and went to Barangay Colon, Naga City, and tried to kidnap Cheryllene Repollo who was able to escape.

The said attempt was witnessed by a resident of Barangay Tuyan of the same city.

Because the suspects failed to kidnap Repollo, they proceeded to Barangay Calajoan, Minglanilla, Cebu to search for another victim. A motorcycle-for-hire driver saw the vehicle going towards the Calajoan Elementary School.

When the suspects on board the SUV were near the school, they saw Ellah Joy and pretended to bring her home.

Two more witnesses saw what happened and identified Santos as the one who took Ellah Joy but were not able to clearly see the face of her companion. While the incident took place, another witness, a tricycle driver, heard the commotion from the other side of the road and identified Griffiths as the one driving the vehicle.

According to the report, the suspects tried to persuade Ellah Joy to pose for pornography by feeding her and giving her money. When Ellah refused, she was hit with a blunt object in the head that killed her around 11 p.m. of the same day.

Around 12:30 a.m. of February 9, two witnesses passed by Sitio Sayaw, Barangay Guibuangan, Barili, on a motorcycle and saw both suspects dumping something wrapped in a sheet. It was believed that the body of Ellah Joy was transported using the Pajero with license plate numbers LHJ-382. It was the same Pajero that the two witnesses saw when the suspects dumped something in Guibuangan.

At about 7:55 a.m. of the same day, a man saw the sheet that contained the naked body of Ellah Joy in the same place. Her body was tied to a rock with a computer cable. Another person recovered the bag of the victim around 1:30 p.m. somewhere in Barangay Patupat at the right side of the road towards Carcar City. Inside the said bag were the folded clothes of the victim, two P50 bills and other personal belongings.

The suspects then cleaned all the traces of the crime and left Cebu through the Mactan Cebu International Airport that same afternoon on board SilkAir flight number M1588 using a one-way ticket purchased at the last minute without any reservations around 3 p.m.

The identification of the suspects was done by comparing the photographs of the suspects with other persons of similar features. The minors as witnesses were placed under the guidance of a qualified social worker and their parents.

Reynante Pique, Ellah Joy’s father, said he is content with the effort the taskforce, adding that he believes they have the real culprits this time.

Comendador said they are already applying for protection for the witnesses. — /BRP (FREEMAN)