The Philippines is one of Asia’s most frequented tourist destinations, cherished not only for its natural beauty but also for its affordability. The nation’s tourism popularity has significantly boosted the economy, contributing 27.6 billion to the GDP last year. Consequently, the Department of Tourism actively seeks to encourage both foreigners and locals to explore the archipelago’s wonders.

In 2018, one of the many tourists encouraged to visit the country was an American woman named Tommy Michelle Masters. Tommy was born on January 11, 1995, in Modoc, a small area in Indiana. Her parents, Shan and Michelle, described her as having an outgoing personality.

One of her biggest dreams was to leave Indiana and move to California. After graduating from high school in 2013, her parents were not surprised when she chose not to attend college. Instead, she took on various jobs to save up for a plane ticket to California.

Upon arriving in the Golden State, she worked diligently to pay her rent. A look at her social media profile confirmed she was enjoying her life, visiting various locations not just in California but also in neighboring states. She visited the Getty Museum, Channel Islands National Park, and enjoyed a trip to Las Vegas. For the 23-year-old Tommy, nothing seemed impossible as long as one had perseverance and effort.

After more than three years in California, she decided to travel to the Philippines. Her parents were concerned because her next destination was so far away, but as she was an adult, they granted permission, hoping she would remain careful. Weeks passed, and they regularly received photos and videos from her chronicling her travels. However, their concern grew when they could not contact her around December 17, 2018, the date she was supposed to fly back to the United States. Six days passed without a call or text from her.

Then, on December 23, 2018, just two days before Christmas, they received a call. The number had the country code +63, the code for the Philippines, but the voice on the other end was not Tommy’s.

It was an American man who introduced himself as a representative from the US Embassy in Manila. He delivered the news no parent ever wants to hear: their daughter was dead and had been found in the Pasig River.

Before that devastating phone call, in the early hours of December 23, 2018, in a dark section of the Pasig River near the Baseco compound, two police officers and a teenager walked along the riverbank carrying flashlights. Their mission that morning was not to stake out suspects or apprehend a group; they were looking for a large object.

Amid the floating garbage and the darkness, they initially struggled to find what they were looking for. However, the teenager, who was familiar with the area, noticed a suspicious large cardboard container, resembling a balikbayan box.

He alerted the two officers, suggesting it might be the object of their search. Together, they retrieved the box. Upon opening it, they found a large black plastic bag inside. When they tore open the plastic bag, the body of a person was revealed. As the sun rose, the SOCO (Scene of the Crime Operatives) arrived at the location, followed by a crowd curious about the scene.

Initial investigation determined that the person inside the plastic bag was a woman who had been mummified—wrapped in fabric and secured with duct tape. Once the investigators carefully removed the tape, they discovered the woman was not from Pasig, nor was she a Filipina. She was a foreigner with very fair skin and reddish-blonde hair.

Authorities quickly identified the perpetrators thanks to a reliable source: John Kenneth Kimba, a Grab driver. Using the information from his app, John shared that he had accepted a Grab ride at 1:53 a.m. on December 23. The customer’s pickup point was Avida Towers, a condominium in Mandaluyong, and the drop-off point was Robinson’s Place in Ermita.

As agreed, he went to the pickup point and found his customers were two foreign men. As they drove towards the mall around 2:00 a.m., the two men changed their minds and instructed him to take them to the Pasig River instead, claiming they wanted to go sightseeing.

Upon arriving at the Pasig River near the Baseco compound, the two foreigners stepped out and struggled to carry a large balikbayan box they had placed in the trunk of the car. The observant John jokingly asked the two men what was inside the box, to which the foreigners replied that it was just trash.

After they disposed of the large container, the two asked to be taken to the mall. Once his customers were dropped off, instead of continuing his work, the suspicious John drove directly to the Manila Police District Station 5 in Ermita to report his bad feeling about the foreigners’ actions.

The MPD immediately dispatched officers to the Pasig River to confirm John’s account. Once the balikbayan box was found and confirmed to contain a corpse, authorities wasted no time. They rushed to the condo.

With the help of the building administrator, investigators discovered that the victim found in the Pasig River was the same woman who had rented a unit on the 14th floor of the condo. She was identified as Tommy Michelle Masters.

The admin also shared that Tommy was not alone but was staying with her boyfriend. When the police arrived at the condo, they found no one, but the unit was in disarray.

The bed was destroyed, and parts of it were scattered on the floor, suggesting the victim might have been killed inside the unit. Condo records showed Tommy had rented the unit through Airbnb and was staying with her boyfriend, Troy Woody Jr. The Grab driver, John, confirmed that Woody was one of his passengers.

Other tenants in the condominium suggested they might find Woody at a nearby condo, only ten minutes away from the American Embassy. They went to the condo tower and successfully located and arrested the foreigners: Woody and his friend, Mir Islam. The two were immediately taken to the precinct and charged with murder.

Reports indicated that Woody and Tommy had been in a relationship for a long time, having met in California. Woody was a Bitcoin trader with over 100,000 followers on Instagram. Like many influencers and people involved in the cryptocurrency business, Woody often flaunted his luxurious lifestyle, showcasing luxury goods and items.

He was frequently seen with his 24-year-old friend, Mir Islam. Islam, a Bangladeshi who had immigrated with his family to the US and later became a naturalized American Citizen, had a difficult youth.

He suffered from bipolar disorder, chronic depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and ADHD. Due to these conditions, he struggled to socialize, leading him to drop out of high school. Despite not graduating, he was highly skilled with computers.

Along with two friends, one of whom was Woody, Islam formed a hacking group that targeted various websites, victimizing thousands of companies. They were eventually caught by the FBI and sentenced to six years in juvenile court. After their release, the two friends did not change their ways, becoming involved in various cases over the next four years.

When news of Tommy’s death spread, people couldn’t help but inquire about her background. Interviews with her friends revealed that to pay her rent and afford her travels, she had entered the booming business of medical marijuana.

I emphasize “medical marijuana” because many are unaware that the use of medical cannabis was legal in LA County, California, and various US states.

Her friends explained that money was not the only reason she took the job; she had a personal testimony that medical marijuana helped her back pain and aided her in gaining weight.

They also revealed that the relationship between Tommy and Woody began fraudulently. They met on Instagram, but Woody had catfished Tommy, initially pretending to be the famous American rapper, Mac Miller. When they first met in person, Tommy, instead of backing out, was intrigued when Woody claimed to manage the rapper’s social media account.

No one knew the truth of his claim, as the actor passed away in September 2018. Woody admitted to Tommy that he was a hacker, but she was swayed by his charm. Woody frequently sent Tommy money, expensive wines, and even a Rolex. When they dated, he took her to expensive restaurants in California, which they often posted on social media.

However, Tommy’s friends found it strange that Woody often obscured his face in these photos. Many speculated that Tommy might be ashamed of her boyfriend’s appearance, or perhaps Woody was insecure.

Their confusion was resolved when Tommy messaged a friend, asking for a gun without a serial number because, she claimed, a hitman wanted to kill her and Woody. This confirmed that Woody’s wealth likely stemmed from illegal activities.

When her friends refused to help, they later learned that Tommy had quit her job and left her life in California because she wanted to help her boyfriend escape America. The couple went to Ohio, where Woody introduced Tommy to his father. From Ohio, they proceeded to Modoc, Indiana, where Woody met Tommy’s family.

Her family instantly disliked Woody, finding him quiet and secretive. Their suspicions were likely correct; one of Tommy’s sisters, Sue, noticed bruises on her neck, indicating domestic abuse. Sue told Tommy not to hesitate to tell them if Woody was hurting her, but Tommy downplayed the abuse.

From Indiana, the couple traveled to Virginia to meet Woody’s extended family. In October 2018, the couple followed Islam to the Philippines. This was Tommy’s first time leaving America, and she was initially excited to travel and explore the country’s beauty.

However, her excitement turned to sadness. Upon arriving at the condo, Woody forbade her from leaving. She was also barred from visiting Islam’s condo. From October to December, she was constantly confined to the condo window. Naturally, her morale plummeted.

She gradually confided in her friends and family, revealing that the reason Woody prevented her from going out or visiting Islam’s unit was that they were using and selling drugs and were also involved in money laundering. The couple fought frequently.

Tommy’s father recalled receiving a message from his daughter in mid-December 2018, asking for money because Woody had allegedly smashed her laptop. He sent her the money and convinced his daughter to return to America if the relationship was beyond repair. Tommy heeded his advice and bought a return ticket, but tragically, she never made it home alive.

In an interview, Commander Bernaldez shared his initial speculation that Tommy’s death was likely due to strangulation, as they did not find any external scratches or wounds on her body. He stated, “Baka namatay siya sa na-suffocate, ano? Na-suffocate o kaya nasakal kasi wala naman siyang mga sugat.” (She might have died from suffocation, you know? Suffocation or strangulation because she didn’t have any wounds.) I must stress that this statement was only speculation, as the final autopsy report had not yet been released at the time of the interview.

While the two friends were detained awaiting inquest proceedings, as expected, they began blaming each other. Islam claimed that on December 22, 2018, he received a text from Woody asking for help buying a large balikbayan box.

Woody allegedly explained he needed the box to pack his belongings because Tommy had left him and traveled to Amsterdam. After purchasing the large box, they went to the couple’s unit. Islam claimed it was his first time visiting their condo, but he waited outside, supposedly allowing Woody to pack alone.

Two and a half hours later, Islam returned to find the balikbayan box full of what Woody claimed was trash. Due to its heavy weight, Woody asked Islam to help him carry the box. Islam denied knowing the contents, trusting his friend’s assertion that it only contained garbage.

Despite the suspects’ persistent denials, authorities were confident in the evidence they had gathered. Firstly, they had a copy of the CCTV footage from the building, showing the two men together loading the balikbayan box into the Grab driver’s trunk.

Furthermore, an examination of Woody’s body revealed multiple bruises and scratches, suggesting he acquired them while Tommy was fighting back.

The authorities’ initial theory was that Woody killed Tommy and only sought Islam’s help to dispose of the body.

However, due to the lack of direct evidence clarifying the exact sequence of events, many speculations arose. Tommy’s family, for instance, disagreed with the Manila Police District’s theory.

Their belief was that Woody and Islam were accomplices. They theorized that on the night of December 22, 2018, Islam arrived at Tommy’s unit.

While the couple talked, Islam approached Tommy from behind, subdued her, and placed a plastic bag over her head until she suffocated. They believed the pair wanted to silence Tommy because she was returning to the US and they feared she might report their illegal activities and location to authorities.

In February 2019, the two men pleaded Not Guilty, and the trial was set to proceed. However, the first day of trial was immediately delayed. The two arrived in court without their lawyers.

When Judge Capco Umali asked why their legal counsel was absent, they claimed their lawyers were incompetent. Judge Umali quickly appointed them lawyers from the PAO (Public Attorney’s Office) to ensure the proceedings could move forward.