An Israeli actor and his beauty queen partner were found buried in a shallow grave in the Philippines.
Knewz.com has learned that the duo, Yitzhak Cohen (37) and Geneva Lopez (27), were first designated missing when their SUV was found burning on the outskirts of a village in the Asian country’s Tarlac province.
Filipino police were then contacted by an anonymous person claiming that they were paid to burn the couple's vehicle.
The couple left their home on June 21 to meet with whom they believed was a seller of agricultural land—and that was the last they were heard from.
According to reports, it was Lopez’s sister, Joni, who alerted the authorities when she was unable to reach the couple.
Acting on the anonymous tip-off, the local authorities unearthed the duo’s bodies and found that both were shot to death, with Lopez – shot from behind – sustaining two bullet wounds (to the heart and lungs).
Cohen's remains are set to be flown back to Israel.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry has since released a statement on the matter, saying:
“Yitzhak Cohen and his partner, who disappeared from their car in the Philippines about a week ago, have been found lifeless.”
“The Israeli embassy in Manila, along with the Department for Israelis Abroad at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is providing assistance to the Cohen family in transferring the coffin to Israel.”
The 37-year-old’s brother, Yaniv, recently broke his silence on his sibling's passing and the circumstances surrounding it.
He said: “My sister spoke with Yitzhak an hour before, and he didn't mention the meeting because it wasn't anything special. He didn't see any danger in going to this meeting.”
He further noted that Cohen likely felt safe because he had met the individual on numerous occasions.
“He lent him money a few years ago when his mother was ill, and he never returned the money,” he explained.
“He arranged a meeting with him and told him he would give him land in exchange for the loan.”
“Yitzhak and his partner, who was his right-hand woman, were supposed to meet at that piece of land which he said he would give him in return for the loan.”
Yaniv indicated that his brother’s fate in the Philippines is not unique.
“From what we understand, it’s another scam that has already happened. We are discovering that this is not a rare case.”
“From what we understood, it's another scam that has already happened before. We are discovering that this is not an uncommon occurrence,” Yaniv told Israeli news outlet, Ynet.
“It's their way of targeting people who become successful business people. He has been living there for seven years, he and his fiancée were planning to get married soon, and he is a businessman who developed slowly and accumulated wealth.”
The local law enforcement authorities have since indicated that they have identified four suspects including two former policemen connected to the crime.
The latter has since been remanded into custody.