Police trying to unmask ‘Bianca Lee’, appeal to her to come forward, show her evidence

Cop chief says raps will be filed against Bianca Lee if her statements are not true

Police Lieutenant Colonel Janette Rafter, Deputy Director for Operations of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), said that they are conducting an investigation to find out who Bianca Lee is. | Emmariel Ares

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Police here are investigating on the identity of Bianca Lee, the woman who claimed to have valuable information about the murder of Reah Mae Tocmo on July 16, 2023.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Janette Rafter, deputy director for operations of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), told reporters that they were exerting all efforts to settle the case especially with the directive of Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama to determine the identity of “Bianca Lee.”

Anti-Cybercrime Group tapped

Rafter said that they were coordinating with the Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) in order to determine if the account used by the alleged witness was real or not.

Rafter said that the initial findings of the ACG showed that Lee’s account was a suspected dummy account.

“Based sa ilang findings before pa. Ila na pud nang gitan-aw sukad paggawas pud ana nga issue no. Ila pud na gitan-aw. And they have suspected, it could be a dummy account,” she said.

(That is based on their findings before. They have already looked into it since the issue surfaced. They had looked into it. And they have suspected, (that) it could be a dummy account.)

Deeper probe

However, Rafter said that they would be conducting a deeper investigation to confirm their suspicions on whether it was a dummy account. 

“To confirm it, naa pa gyud sila buhaton nga mga latag gyud to confirm if the account is really a dummy account,” she said. 

(To confirm it, they still have to go through a process to confirm if the account is really a dummy account.)

Rafter said that despite the difficulty of tracing the account, the police along with the ACG, would continue to conduct an investigation including cyber monitoring in order to settle the issue. 

Police appeal to alleged witness

Once again, Rafter appealed to the alleged witness to come forward so that her allegations would be verified once and for all.

She advised Lee to present her alleged pieces of evidence to any government security agency if she truly would want to help in the development of the case.

Rafter said that the goal of the police was to settle this issue and that this would only be possible if the alleged witness would choose to come forward. 

“Isa ra gyud pirmi ang statement ni city director, og gusto ka motabang, mogawas ka…Og wala man gani kay saktong ebidensya, nya moaligar ka og bug-at nga akusasyon sa isa ka tawo, isa ka grupo, isa ka organisasyon, murag lisod pud siguro na. Unfair pud na nga wala kay ebidensya,” she said.

(Our city director only had one statement, if you want to help, then you come out…if you don’t have enough or the right evidence, and then you would  throw a heavy accusation against a person, a group, or one organization, then that seems difficult. That will be unfair if you don’t have evidence.)

‘Bianca Lee’ allegations

It can be recalled that a woman who goes by the name “Bianca Lee” made allegations that the investigation on the killing of 19-year-old Reah Mae Tocmo were inaccurate during a radio interview on August 31, 2023.

Lee claimed to have CCTV footage of the moment that the box containing the victim’s body was disposed. 

She also showed several screenshots of an online conversation that she claimed to be between her and Reah Mae on the day that she was killed. 

Once again, Rafter advised the public to take caution before making allegations especially through social media. 

“For everybody siguro, before ta magpost, let us validate. You should be supported by evidence,” she said. 

(For everybody, before we post, let us validate. You should be supported by evidence.)

According to Rafter, if they find that the evidence that the alleged witness claimed to have with her will be true, then it will contribute greatly to the investigation on the case of the victim, who was found inside a box by the side of the road.

Tocmo’s family advised by police

And if the statements of Lee would be proven to be false, then Rafter said that charges would be filed against Lee for scamming and relaying false information. 

Rafter also said that the family of Reah Mae Tocmo, who is originally from Negros Oriental, were already advised by authorities to report to them if they would be approached by individuals claiming to have evidence that would help the case.

Meanwhile, Simeon Gabutero Jr., the suspect in the murder of Reah Mae Tocmo, has been transferred to the Cebu City Jail on Tuesday, September 5, 2023.

Rafter said that Gabutero was committed for a separate case of possession of illegal firearms. 

Gabutero at Cebu City Jail

It can be recalled that before confessing to the murder, Gabutero was first arrested after police responded to an armed person alarm in Barangay Guadalupe on July 29, 2023.

She said that just like all the persons at the city jail, Gabutero would be given the same treatment by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) to ensure his safety inside the facility. 

“Huwaton na lang namo ang pag-irog sa kaso so maghuwat ta kung kanus-a ipatawag ang atong kapulisan nga nakadakop niya sa maong violation,” she added.

(We will just wait when the case would move so we will just wait when the police who arrested him in that violation.)

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