In a country often plagued by disasters caused by heavy rains and typhoons, the people of Cebu City placed great faith in their expansive seawall. Emulating successful Japanese engineering, the local government, in collaboration with the Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA) and the Cebu City Government, initiated the construction of a massive seawall in 1997.

This project was designed to protect the 300 hectares of land in the South Road Properties (SRP) from rising tides and potential tsunamis. Successfully completed in 2004, the seawall’s presence brought stability, security, and subsequent economic prosperity to the SRP and its surrounding areas, easing the perennial anxieties of the Cebuano people.

For years, the seawall remained a silent guardian. However, on November 19, 2024, an ordinary day was shattered when a startling discovery was made along its edge. A Bantay Dagat (sea watcher), during the sunrise hours, found a body—that of a woman—dressed in black clothes and trousers.

The discovery prompted an immediate call to the authorities. Police and the Scene of the Crime Operations (SOCO) team quickly arrived, securing the area to preserve any possible evidence. Given that the body was wet, some investigators were initially cautious about rapidly concluding the case.

When the body was examined, no one could immediately identify her, with authorities stating they were certain the woman was not a resident of Cebu City. Initial observations revealed no gunshot or stab wounds, leading some to initially speculate that the woman might have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol and had jumped from the seawall to commit suicide.

To be certain, SOCO quickly dispatched the remains for examination by the medical examiner. As authorities awaited the autopsy results, news and photos of the unidentified woman spread rapidly across the internet. Within 24 hours, three individuals rushed to the morgue.

After being led into the room where the body lay under a white sheet, the relatives were overcome with dread. They feared confirming the terrible news that one of their own was gone. However, a cousin of the victim bravely approached the body. Upon uncovering the sheet, she broke down, positively identifying the deceased as her cousin, Nika Denise Lagria.

Other relatives then gathered around the body, some emotionally attempting to wake the young woman, while others kissed the remains through tears. With a local TV news outlet picking up the story, the family publicly appealed to the perpetrator to surrender out of conscience for the crime committed against their loved one.

In interviews, the family expressed shock, stating they knew of no one who held a grudge or had an enmity with Nika. Reports identified Nika Denise Lagria as born and raised in Sitio Silot, Barangay Yati, Liloan—about 31 minutes from Cebu City.

Her parents, both vendors, worked tirelessly to put their children through school up to high school. After Nika graduated from Orcelo Memorial National High School, the youngest of four siblings, she quickly realized her parents needed her support. Despite not pursuing a college education, she immediately sought employment.

Nika’s social media profile revealed a typical young woman who enjoyed sharing her life, places she visited, and occasions she attended. Her parents were proud of her because Nika was the type of person who would do anything to help, especially them.

While awaiting the investigation results, some people who examined the victim’s social media posts speculated that Nika might have been struggling with heavy personal burdens. Given the Filipino cultural aversion to openly discussing emotional distress, some believed Nika might have been under pressure and sadness for a long time, leading her to end her own life.

However, the family firmly dismissed the suicide angle, posting on social media to ask the public not to believe rumors and to allow them privacy to mourn the heavy burden their family was enduring. Others speculated that the 22-year-old might have met up with someone she chatted with online, but relatives also dismissed this, saying Nika did not have a boyfriend or a suitor she met on the internet.

Upon the return of the victim’s body, the Lagria family, particularly the patriarch, was deeply emotional, unable to comprehend that someone could commit such an act against his youngest daughter. Her siblings repeatedly emphasized that Nika was good, kind, and had never wronged anyone, making the motive for her death a true puzzle.

Her cousin, Jennifer Noval, shared that Nika was open with her and their family, loved clothes, and always ensured she looked well-dressed before posting photos on social media—a normal activity for young people today. Jennifer attested that Nika was diligent and always prioritized her parents’ needs when she had money.

During a press briefing, authorities investigating the case clarified they were not considering the suicide angle. Instead, they revealed that robbery might have been the motive, as the victim’s cell phone was missing.

Public skepticism arose, however, since Nika’s phone model was not particularly expensive. The Mambaling Police Station 11 assured the public they were looking at every angle and following every tip received, though they would not disclose all details of the ongoing investigation.

The victim’s wake was attended by the Vice Mayor and the Mayor of Cebu City. Due to pressure from the media and politicians, the autopsy results were quickly finalized and released. The medical examiner confirmed that the victim did not commit suicide; she was, in fact, the victim of a crime.

The cause of death was strangulation, and the examiner clarified there were no signs of sexual assault. However, due to the body being recovered from the water, investigators found no hair strands or other materials for DNA collection.

Authorities immediately opened a homicide case. To piece together Nika’s last movements, police first interviewed her family. The victim’s father stated that around 3:00 a.m. on November 19, he drove Nika on his motorcycle to the corner where she usually caught a jeepney.

He recounted that he dropped Nika off daily, but on that particular morning, she had to go in early for a 5:00 a.m. meeting at the restaurant where she worked as a cashier in Mandaue City.

Mr. Lagria emotionally recalled telling his youngest daughter to be careful as she left on the morning of November 19, unaware that it would be the last time he would see her alive. The family spent the entire day of November 19 continuing their work, assuming Nika had safely arrived in Mandaue.

Her cousins revealed that they had been hearing, reading, and watching news reports about the dead woman found at the seawall all day, yet it never occurred to them that the victim was their family member.

The Lagria couple only began to worry when Nika had not returned home by 9:00 p.m. on November 19. They became anxious when she did not answer any calls or texts.

The next day, realizing the similarities between Nika’s body features and clothes and those of the victim found at the seawall, a relative convinced Nika’s sister-in-law and cousin to go to the morgue, confirming the terrible truth.

Using the father’s statement, authorities next examined the area where Nika was dropped off. Investigators were relieved when someone provided them with CCTV footage, proving Mr. Lagria’s account was true.

The footage showed that minutes after being dropped off, Nika boarded a public vehicle traveling through the SRP, moving towards the area where her body was discovered. The clarity of the footage allowed police to quickly capture the license plate of the vehicle.

The video showed a multicab that had stopped, reportedly the one Nika boarded. Land Transportation Office records showed the multicab was registered to a man named Jason Kulamat. The authorities easily arrested Kulamat after finding shabu (methamphetamine) in his vehicle, allowing them a window for questioning. SOCO immediately searched the multicab for evidence.

Some people immediately judged Kulamat, uncovering that he was part of a religious group they considered a cult and describing him as mentally deranged.

However, Kulamat did not confess. He denied any involvement, claiming he was in Barili from November 16 to November 20. He stated that he had rented the multicab to his uncle, who was driving the vehicle on November 19 when the crime occurred.

Following this lead, authorities wasted no time, rushing to San Remigio at 1:00 a.m. on November 21. When the suspect learned police were approaching, he attempted to flee but was quickly cornered. He resisted arrest, resulting in him being brought to the precinct with a bloody face and injured feet.

Investigators searching his house were confident they had found the true culprit when they discovered the victim’s missing cellphone and shoes, as well as a .38 caliber revolver. SOCO also confirmed finding blood on the driver’s seat of the multicab. The new suspect was identified as Godofredo Rufal.

Faced with overwhelming evidence, Rufal was quickly interrogated and confessed to killing the victim. Kulamat was immediately removed from the persons of interest list but remained in jail due to the drug charges from the confiscated shabu. Public records showed that this was not Rufal’s first offense; he was a former convict, having just been released from prison, and had a previous record for molestation and eight other drug-related cases.

In his sworn testimony, Rufal admitted he was driving the multicab on the morning of November 19. Nika sat in the passenger seat next to him. He found the young woman attractive and noticed she was still sleepy, as it was 3:00 a.m. When the victim fell asleep, Rufal waited for the last passenger to disembark, leaving only the two of them. He then parked the vehicle.

While she slept, Rufal confessed to kissing the victim on the lips, but Nika woke up. Realizing the suspect’s intentions, the victim quickly reacted and bit Rufal’s tongue until it bled. The suspect admitted that Nika fought back, but his anger and superior strength led him to strangle Nika until she stopped breathing.

Rufal claimed he never intended to kill the victim, but because he was hurt, he felt he had no choice but to silence her. He then drove from Mandaue to Cebu City, deciding the SRP Seawall was the perfect place to dispose of the body, hoping the current would carry the remains into the deep sea.

After dumping the body, he even went to Bogo District Hospital to treat his tongue, telling the nurses he was a robbery victim. From the hospital, he drove the multicab back to his house in San Remigio, where he was eventually arrested.

A video captured the emotional confrontation between the victim’s family and the killer, as the bright and passionate Nika would never achieve her dreams. Rufal begged for forgiveness from the victim’s family, insisting he did not intend to kill Nika. However, his apology was too little, too late for the grieving family.

Following the press conference, the Mayor of Cebu City praised the Mambaling Police for the speedy resolution of the case, once again offering condolences and providing financial assistance to the Lagria family. The case concluded rapidly, bringing swift, albeit painful, closure to a family devastated by a senseless act of violence.