The island of Boracay, known globally for its stunning azure waters and pristine white-sand beaches, is currently grappling with a tragedy that has cast a shadow over its reputation as a tropical haven. This recent event has caused anxiety among tourists, prompting many to reconsider their travel plans to the famous destination.

The fear stems from the discovery of the lifeless body of a Slovak national on the island, a development that shocked both locals and the international community.

The missing foreign tourist was found dead in Boracay, her body already decomposing when it was discovered inside an abandoned chapel ruin. The case revolves around the painful and tragic death of Michaela Moeva.

Known to foreigners as “Paradise” and the “Island that never sleeps,” Boracay’s beauty first captivated German writer Jens Peter in 1978.

His travelogue about the Philippines described Boracay as a paradise on earth, fueling curiosity and leading to an increasing awareness of the island. Following this, Boracay was inundated with tourists from various countries.

The influx of visitors gradually led to a boom in investors who built large hotels, restaurants, and churches. The island became surrounded by beautiful structures and attracted masses of people.

Despite the development, Boracay managed to preserve its fine, powdery white sand, towering coconut trees, and healthy marine life. One person enchanted by its beauty was 23-year-old Slovak national Michaela Moeva.

In a video, she described Boracay as a beautiful place with kind people, highly recommending it to her friends. “The tour was amazing, the most wonderful tour guide that we could imagine we have, and it was absolutely perfect and I recommend it to everyone who comes here,” she was recorded saying.

Michaela Moeva hailed from Brno, South Moravia, Czech Republic, where she worked as an educational assistant at the Livonshire Berlin, an organization dedicated to helping people with disabilities.

Her family described Michaela as a kind, thoughtful, and friendly person. From a young age, she was loved by many for her kindness and willingness to help.

After graduating from high school in 2020, she enrolled at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic, where she pursued a Bachelor of Science in Special Education Major in English, completing it in June 2024. She also earned an Erasmus scholarship at the University of Madeira in Portugal, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science in Psychology.

While studying, she worked as a school assistant, event staff, and leisure time animator, which is essentially a tour guide—a job she genuinely enjoyed. In this role, she met people of various nationalities, including Filipinos.

Even while working as a teacher for children with disabilities, she continued her work as a leisure time animator. Her kind and friendly nature meant she met many foreigners through this job.

Given the inherent hospitality and friendliness of Filipinos, Michaela quickly grew fond of them, and some later became her close friends. One of these friends invited Michaela to attend their wedding on Boracay Island on March 8, 2025.

As Michaela loved traveling, she enthusiastically accepted the invitation from her close Filipino friend. She was supposed to travel to the Philippines with her Egyptian boyfriend, but he encountered visa issues, so Michaela boarded the plane alone and headed to the Philippines.

What should have been a joyful vacation turned into a nightmare. Upon arriving in Manila, Michaela immediately traveled to Boracay. Due to the summer season, the island was packed with tourists and locals, making it challenging to move around.

In Boracay, Michaela maximized her vacation. She waded in the water, walked along the white-sand beaches, and met many locals on the island.

March 11, 2025, was supposed to be Michaela’s last day on the island. She was scheduled to fly back to Manila, where she would then take a flight back to Brno.

However, Michaela did not board the flight. Her friends could no longer contact her, and she could not be found anywhere. They began searching the island and asking around, but no one seemed to know Michaela’s whereabouts.

They immediately reported the problem to the Malay Police Station, which promptly helped in the search. They even offered a P50,000 reward for any information on her whereabouts, but even the police failed to find the young woman.

After two days of searching, on March 12, 2025, they received a report. An unidentified woman was found dead in a dilapidated, old church ruin in a dense area, kilometers away from the hotel where the young woman had checked in.

They immediately proceeded to the area and found the lifeless body of the missing Michaela Moeva. Because she had been missing for several days, the body was beginning to decompose, causing a foul odor.

The victim was still wearing shoes, her upper garment was pulled up, and she was naked from the waist down, leading police to initially suspect a case of rape and murder.

“When I reached the fallen banana tree, as I passed by the fallen Balete tree, I suddenly felt like I wasn’t myself. Then I suddenly smelled something foul. I got scared, ran, and immediately reported it to my companions,” recounted one of the people who found her.

According to Michaela’s friends, they last saw her alive at noon on March 10, 2025. They had lunch together, and after eating, she told them she would go for a walk and tour the island one last time before heading back to Brno.

Since then, they had not seen her. The site where Michaela’s body was found was an abandoned church in the middle of a dense forest.

It was once a popular spot for locals and foreigners to celebrate weddings, but the building was abandoned in 2018 due to its age. Since its abandonment, few people visited, and it became covered in dense grass and trees.

The path leading there was also overgrown. It was said that if you weren’t familiar with the area, it would be difficult to reach.

However, despite being old and abandoned, it still attracted the curiosity of people, especially foreigners. They were captivated by the ruins, the deteriorating walls, and the quiet surroundings.

Some said that visiting the ruins made them marvel at the environment and imagine what it looked like before it was completely abandoned. The silence and the pleasant sea breeze in the area were also inviting.

The location, though prohibited and overgrown, still drew a few visitors. Investigators speculated that Michaela might have seen a story about the old church on social media or online, piquing her curiosity and prompting her to visit the area.

Because the area was overgrown, there was no cell signal. “In the initial report, someone informed our PNP at PCP 2 that we had a body found somewhere in Bulabog, and we immediately responded,” a police spokesperson stated.

“Upon confirmation, we found that there was indeed a foreign national body found, and we immediately called the forensic unit, SOCO, to process it, and the crime scene processing was completed.”

When the victim was found, her belt bag was still around her waist, but her cellphone and wallet containing cash were missing. The news was immediately relayed to Michaela’s family, who agreed to an autopsy.

The family’s consent was crucial, as some cultures and religions forbid submitting the body to examination. The autopsy revealed that Michaela was raped.

She also had bruises and blood clots on her head, stomach, arms, thighs, and face. The severe bruising on her face was determined to be a cause of her immediate death.

In the last photo of the young woman before she disappeared, she was seen standing, holding a glass and surrounded by bottles of liquor. Initially, it was assumed she was drinking alcohol, but her friends vehemently denied this, as she was a non-drinker.

It was later revealed that the glass the young woman was holding contained coconut juice. During the investigation, the Malay police immediately searched for CCTV in the area where the last people with Michaela were seen and the last place she went before she disappeared.

Their investigation revealed that many locals and tourists had spoken with and been with the young woman on the island. In her last photo, the young woman was seen being offered coconut juice by a group of men.

They also interviewed several witnesses who last saw the young woman before she went missing. Their testimonies matched the evidence gathered, leading them to immediately arrest a person of interest.

In the initial statement released by the Malay PNP, they had four individuals named as persons of interest based on information gathered and the accounts of several witnesses. One of them is already in police custody, while the other three are still being pursued.

The persons of interest are local residents of the island and one foreigner. “We have already apprehended one suspect. Hopefully, there are others we are pursuing,” a police official confirmed.

“We caught one yesterday in a barangay on the mainland. Did he confess? It’s not entirely clear yet, but he was one of the people who saw them.”

For now, the Malay police declined to name the persons of interest, stating that the investigation is ongoing, and they are cautious about the information released. However, they assured the public that they are doing everything to bring justice to the victim.

The Department of Tourism commented that this incident is an isolated case and assured tourists that Boracay remains safe.