Missing beauty queen and Israeli actor boyfriend found buried in quarry site in the Philippines

A Filipina beauty queen and her Israeli actor boyfriend who have been missing for two weeks have been found buried in a quarry site.

Beauty pageant winner Geneva Lopez, 27, and her lover, Yitshak Cohen, 37, drove from their home to Capas City in Tarlac, the Philippines, to discuss a property deal when they both became unreachable on June 21 afternoon.

Police launched a search for the couple when their SUV was found early morning on June 22, burning in the outskirts of Cristo Rey village in Capas. They also found documents bearing Geneva's name inside the vehicle.

A special search task force finally found the couple's decomposing corpses lying side-by-side in a grave in an overgrown quarry site in Capas on July 5, following a tip-off from an informant claiming he had been ordered to set the SUV ablaze.

Philippine National Police spokesman Police Colonel Jean Fajardo said: 'The informant was the one who pointed us to the grave. If not for him, we would still be searching until now.'

Post-mortem exams found that both Geneva and Yitshak died of gunshot wounds. Geneva was reportedly shot in the back, with the bullet piercing her lung and heart, while Yitshak was shot from the front, rupturing his left lung.

Authorities said they have detained four people of interest, including two dismissed cops facing charges of illegal firearm possession.

One of the cops, Michael Angelo Guiang, was reportedly a middleman the couple had met to discuss the land transaction.

Capas Police, citing Geneva's sister Joni, said in a police report: 'Ms Joni Lopez said that prior to the incident, they were informed by her sister that they, Geneva and Yitshak, would both proceed to Capas, Tarlac, to meet or transact with a certain Michael Angelo Guiang in Capas, Tarlac, with regard to the land that was pawned to them by Mr Guiang sometime in 2021.'

However, the Israeli man's brother, Yaniv, said Yitshak made the trip to Capas not to buy, but to claim the deed for the parcel of land.

He said: 'My brother was getting a land for a collateral of a loan basically.

'No, he didn't come with any money. He came for a meeting with a suspect, just because he was telling him that he's ready with the papers for the land and that he has a buyer.'

He added that Yitshak was involved in loans and real estate, and that money may have been the motive behind the killings.

Yitshak's body was repatriated to Israel for a burial in accordance with his family's traditions.

Meanwhile, PNP spokesperson Police Colonel Jean said: 'We already have a clear indication why these two victims were murdered. We have leads and know who the mastermind is behind their deaths.'

Police have declined to give further details because the investigation was ongoing.

Yitshak described himself online as an actor. He played the role of Joseph in a Jewish production that is listed on IMDB.

In October 2023, another beauty queen, Catherine Camilon, 27, was reported missing and is believed to have been kidnapped. She was said to have had an affair with a cop, Police Major Allan de Castro, before her disappearance in Batangas province.

Catherine has not yet been found.