LAGUNA — The body of an unidentified woman was found stuffed into a plastic storage box that had been carried as cargo on a provincial bus from Laguna to Camarines Norte on New Year’s Day, prompting a cross-regional manhunt.

During the nearly eight-hour, 290-kilometer trip, none of the passengers thought that the big container in the bus’s baggage compartment held human remains.

On January 2, the box was finally found in a river in Barangay Pinagwarasan, Basud, Camarines Norte.

Investigators used a mix of CCTV evidence and witness accounts to track the suspect’s activities, which led to a breakthrough in the investigation.

To retrace the suspect’s path, a Special Investigating Team (SIT Fortune) headed by Police Captain Mark Armea, the head of the Basud Municipal Police Station, was sent to Laguna.

A tricycle was seen arriving at 8:34 p.m. on camera from a terminal in Barangay Turbina, Calamba City. January 1st.

Two men are seen in the video helping a traveler unload a big storage box from the sidecar.

The suspect was seen boarding a bus bound for Daet around half an hour later.

Police were informed by the bus conductor that the man said the package was heavy since it included “groceries and tools.”\

Since then, investigators have verified that this container is the same one that was discovered in the Basud River.

‘NARROWED DOWN’ Suspect

Four witnesses with direct connections to the suspect have already been questioned by the authorities.

“We have spoken to many witnesses who have a direct connection to the suspect—those who saw him and were with him,” Basud police chief Armea stated.

Armea said, “We are ensuring that we have narrowed down where this suspect came from in Region 4A (Calabarzon),”

The victim’s name is still unclear while the suspect is being investigated.

The conductor and bus driver are working completely with an ongoing investigation.

The public is being asked to help the Basud police.