The prime suspect in the murder of Yitzhak Cohen and Geneva Lopez in the Philippines has confessed to his involvement during police questioning. Yitzhak Cohen, a 37-year-old Israeli who went missing in the Philippines along with his partner Geneva Lopez and was later found deceased, is believed to have been killed over a financial dispute, as reported by Israel Hayom.
New information, obtained after locating and identifying the bodies, suggests the murders may be linked to a business deal gone awry. The suspect admitted culpability during interrogation, leading authorities to discover the couple's burial site. 2 members of local law enforcement have been arrested for potentially being involved, the main suspects is a former police officer, although details on this aspect remain unclear.
Reports from sources close to the family indicate that the suspect owed Cohen approximately $250,000. Cohen had travelled to the area where the crime occurred to finalize a land permit related to their business agreement with the suspect, but he never returned from the meeting.
Initial investigation suggests that the couple were perhaps tricked into a land buying scam, which is said to be common amongst businesspeople travelling to the Philippines as they are wealthy and often preyed upon by locals. They were then suspected to have been kidnapped, threatened to pay for their release, before being brutally murdered by the suspects.
Family sources also revealed that the investigation indicated Cohen and Lopez were each shot twice and buried approximately two weeks before local investigative teams, assisted by Cohen's relatives currently in the country, successfully located their remains.
Plans are underway to repatriate Cohen's body to Israel in the coming week, pending the necessary permissions.