Beauty queen, 35, found dead after being kidnapped by armed gang had been hogtied and weighed down with rocks in sea
A beauty queen who was found dead in the sea days after going missing had been hogtied and weighed down with rocks.
35-year-old Acquene Arradaza was last seen alive when she was captured on CCTV being abducted by three armed men and forced into a black Toyota as she was shopping on Thursday July 31.
Her body was found just a few days later, off the seaside village of Barangay 99 Diit in the Philippines on Monday August 4. It was found by local fishermen who called the police after they found her decomposing body drifting in the water.
The star had been stripped naked was bound to two sacks which were tied to her to weigh her down. She also had a bicycle lock around her neck and had been blindfolded and gagged.
Local police said: "The body was already in the bloated stage and it was naked. The tongue was already sticking out. It was also seen that the neck, hands and feet were tied. The face was covered with black cloth and even wrapped with duct tape."
Acquene was the former winner of the Miss Matag-ob pageant in Matag-ob municipality and also a single mum-of-three. The body was later confirmed by authorities to be hers.
In a statement, the police said: "Police Regional Office 8 confirms that the unidentified cadaver recovered from the seawaters of Barangay 99-Diit, Tacloban City, on August 4, 2025, has been positively identified as the same woman earlier reported abducted in Ormoc City.
"The confirmation was made through continued coordination between the Tacloban City Police Office (TCPO) and Ormoc City Police Office (OCPO) following a reported abduction incident in the village of Valencia in Ormoc City on July 31, 2025."
They added: "The victim was reportedly taken by three unidentified armed individuals who forced her into a black vehicle before fleeing in the direction of Kananga, Leyte."
Lieutenant Nova Tan of Ormoc City police said the alleged abduction was only reported by relatives on Monday - the same day the body was discovered. The officer said that they "could have intercepted the suspects' vehicle at the city or municipal borders" if her family had filed a report sooner.
Authorities are reported to be tracking down the suspects and are investigating what they believe to be a "premeditated attack" on Acquene.