In a world full of secrets and carefully constructed facades, some events abruptly reveal a person’s true, hidden life. These secrets, though fiercely guarded, inevitably surface.

This is the exact case of Denise Montalban, a 26-year-old call center agent in Ortigas.

At work, she was known as a decent woman, never involved in conflicts or scandal. What unfolded after she went missing forever changed how people—especially her devoted boyfriend, Clyde Imperial (28)—viewed her.

The Silent Weekend

The last time Clyde chatted with Denise was at 2:00 AM on February 6, 2017. She was finishing her night shift, tired, and heading home to her apartment.

For Clyde, it was an ordinary conversation before they rested. He did not know it would be the last time he would ever speak to his girlfriend.

By February 7, Clyde noticed an alarming silence. No updates from Denise. No messages from her work. While she occasionally missed replies, there was usually an explanation. Now, there was none.

He contacted her friend April, who also hadn’t seen her. The landlady confirmed Denise had not returned to the boarding house.

Clyde knew Denise’s routine: work, home, and sometimes the mall with friends. He believed she never went out alone. Yet, his instinct told him something was terribly wrong.

After three days of radio silence, Clyde, along with Denise’s family, filed a missing person report on February 10.

At the precinct, Clyde found himself under interrogation, being the last person who spoke to her. Though he defended himself, some of Denise’s relatives harbored doubts about his innocence.

Determined to clear his name and find his love, Clyde launched his own investigation, visiting Denise’s friends and neighbors.

It was there that a suspicious detail emerged: witnesses had occasionally seen Denise leaving in a black SUV with an unknown man. Clyde had no knowledge of this man or the car.

The Unlocked Secret

As Clyde processed the fragments of information, his eyes fell upon Denise’s laptop, left behind in her room. He tried accessing it, successfully guessing the password—their anniversary date.

Digging through the web history, Clyde noticed that Denise frequently accessed her email. Driven by desperation, he opened the account.

He immediately noticed messages from a recurring username: Jay Stalon.

As Clyde read the exchanges, the painful truth of Denise’s hidden world slowly emerged: the messages were not ordinary. They contained flirtation, arrangements, and explicit references to meetings and sexual encounters.

He found multiple attachments—screenshots of bank receipts from an online transfer app. Different dates, various amounts, but the same sender username.

The total amount Denise received in the weeks leading up to her disappearance totaled PHP22,500.

The discovery plunged Clyde into turmoil—anger over the betrayal mixed with the profound dread of the unknown.

Instead of retreating, Clyde chose to follow the trail, believing it was the only path to finding Denise.

He immediately sought the help of a technologically savvy friend to trace the IP address and online footprint of the email sender, “Jay Stalon.”

The Expats in Alabang

Hours of deep internet search yielded a vital piece of information: the location of the person behind the pseudonym. The IP address pointed to a high-end subdivision in Alabang.

This was a community far removed from Denise’s middle-class world, populated by expatriates, wealthy businessmen, and the upper echelon of society.

The sheer disconnect fueled Clyde’s determination. He took the evidence—the email exchanges, the bank transfers, and the address—to the police to clear his name and demand action.

The Alabang address became the first strong lead in the case. Home Owners Association records identified the residents as James and Alona Yatko, a couple in their 50s, American expats who had returned to the Philippines in 2012.

The couple had a reputation for living a quiet, comfortable life with no prior complaints.

Police linked the “Jay Stalon” email to the couple’s Wi-Fi network, immediately declaring James and Alona Yatko as persons of interest.

In April 2017, nearly two months after Denise vanished, investigators secured a search warrant for the upscale property—a difficult feat for a gated community.

Police descended upon the home early one morning. James and Alona appeared shocked but confidently attempted to question the legality of the warrant, to no avail.

The initial search of the house yielded nothing: the interiors were immaculate, clean, and showed no signs of struggle.

Then, attention turned to the backyard. A small patch of soil was visibly inconsistent with the manicured lawn. To the forensic team, it was a clear indication that something had recently been disturbed beneath the surface.

The team began to dig. A somber silence fell over the scene, broken only by the sound of shovels.

It wasn’t long before the first piece of clothing was unearthed, followed by bones, and then the nearly intact remains of a young woman. The clothing was identified as belonging to Denise Montalban.

DNA testing confirmed the identity, plunging Denise’s family into intense grief.

The painful question remained: what truly happened? What motivated the quiet expat couple to commit such an act?

The Accidental Homicide and Concealment

The investigation uncovered the true, hidden life of the Yatkos. The couple had a long-standing, secretive arrangement: they sought out third parties for paid “intimacy.”

This system, intended to inject “thrill” into their lives, involved carefully selecting individuals who would agree to the setup. Denise was one such person, found on a dating platform.

The recovered emails and bank transfers confirmed they met three times.

According to the couple’s testimony, the third session became “rough.” James accidentally applied excessive pressure to Denise’s neck, causing her to lose consciousness.

In a state of extreme panic, the couple made a fatal decision: instead of calling emergency services and risking exposure of their secret lifestyle, they chose to hide the evidence.

They feared the scandal would destroy their reputation, their business, and the image they had carefully cultivated. They buried Denise in their own backyard.

Finding Light After Darkness

In court, the evidence pointed overwhelmingly to the Yatkos. They attempted the defense of accidental de@th, but the judge ruled against them.

The weight of their decision—to prioritize concealment over seeking medical aid or reporting the de@th—solidified the verdict.

James and Alona Yatko were both declared guilty and sentenced to 5 years imprisonment, a shockingly low penalty for the crime.

As the case unfolded, Denise’s reputation was tragically tarnished, prompting public debate over victim-blaming.

Amidst the chaos, Clyde Imperial slowly began the arduous process of emotional recovery, navigating the overwhelming grief and the lingering confusion of his betrayal.

Two years after the tragedy, Clyde began to move forward. He met Anna Jane Manalo, a 24-year-old grade school teacher, at an outreach event.

Anna was quiet, kind, and non-judgmental, allowing Clyde the space to heal naturally. Over the months, Clyde found the peace he thought he had lost forever.

In 2023, Clyde and Anna were married. Shortly thereafter, Anna gave birth to their first child. Clyde finally found the light and stability he had been robbed of.

His story became a testament not to the tragedy he endured, but to the possibility of rising above the darkness, forgiving the past, and choosing to build a peaceful future.