I. THE LIFE AND DISAPPEARANCE OF CHRISTINE JOY

It was October 29, 2025, when the grim story of a nurse from Negros Occidental suddenly going missing went viral. No one could have anticipated that the devoted nurse would be found lifeless in a sugarcane plantation.

The most shocking element of the crime was the identity of the perpetrator: a police officer sworn to uphold the law. This story unveils a tragic narrative of trust, love, and betrayal that culminated in a criminal act.

The victim who became a trending topic was identified as Christine Joy Digna-Dise (41), born on February 12, 1983, and a resident of Victorias City, Negros Occidental. Christine graduated with a Nursing degree and dedicated her life to saving others, bravely serving on the frontlines during the pandemic.

She was known by her family and colleagues as caring, kind, and diligent. After her nursing career, Christine transitioned to working as an auditor for a company.

She eventually fell in love and bore a son, but the relationship sadly ended, leaving Christine as a single mother. To focus on raising her child, she bravely decided to establish her own cosmetics business.

Christine diligently built her business not only for her son but also to support her entire family, including helping her niece with educational expenses. Her business acumen paid off: by June 30, 2025, she had successfully purchased a second-hand car.

Even her neighbors recognized Christine as a genuinely helpful person, making the possibility of her becoming a victim of a violent criminal act unimaginable. On October 29, 2025, in the early morning, Christine left her home in her silver Honda Accent car, informing her family she had an appointment.

Her family noticed nothing unusual about her departure that day. As hours passed, Christine’s family grew increasingly puzzled by her failure to return home.

They tried texting her, but she didn’t reply. They repeatedly called her cell phone, but it only rang unanswered.

That same day, around 3:57 PM, a resident of Barangay Gargato, Hinigaran, Negros Occidental, called the police station. The resident reported finding an abandoned car in a vast sugarcane field.

Police swiftly responded, arriving at the field to find the silver Honda Accent with a shattered driver’s side window. Upon thorough inspection, they found bloodstains inside the vehicle.

They also noted that there were no shattered glass fragments on the ground outside the car, a strong indication that the vehicle had been abandoned in that spot. Inside the car, police found papers, including the vehicle registration, which listed the original owner as a 70-year-old woman from Molo, Iloilo City.

However, another document found confirmed the current owner: Christine Joy Digna-Dise. Police immediately contacted Christine’s family, who confirmed her ownership of the discovered vehicle.

II. THE UNEXPECTED VISITOR AND THE COLD LIE

News of Christine’s car went viral, prompting widespread questions: Where was Christine? Her family’s worry intensified, as the nurse remained unreachable well into the evening.

They formally filed a missing person report and posted about her disappearance on social media. The family also appealed to all barangays in Negros Occidental to check CCTV footage for leads regarding the car’s route from Victorias to Hinigaran.

The family spent a sleepless night. The next day, someone knocked on Christine’s door. They assumed it was Christine, but standing outside was an unfamiliar man.

The man introduced himself as Christine’s boyfriend. The family was baffled, as Christine had never mentioned a boyfriend to them.

Despite their confusion, they invited the man inside and offered him coffee. While seated, the man claimed he was also looking for Christine, stating they had planned to meet on October 29 morning, but he couldn’t make it due to work.

Before the family saw him out, Christine’s niece noticed a projectile weapon tucked into his waist. They quickly realized the man claiming to be Christine’s boyfriend was a police officer.

More hours passed without Christine’s return, leading police to intensify their investigation. On October 31, two days after the car was found, an anonymous caller contacted the police.

The caller advised the police to stop searching, claiming the nurse was already deceased. The caller further claimed to know the individual responsible for Christine’s passing.

On November 1, 2025, All Saints’ Day, the case gained clarity as the recognized suspect in the crime voluntarily surrendered to the police station. The suspect was identified as Police Staff Sergeant Enrique Gonzalodo (43)—the very same man who had visited Christine’s home and introduced himself as her boyfriend.

Gonzalodo was married with two children and was assigned to the Bacolod City Police Office Station 5. Upon arriving at the police station, Enrique confessed to the entire incident.

He claimed that he and Christine had been in a three-year relationship, having met when he was assigned to Victorias City. Enrique stated he was the last person with Christine before her disappearance.

III. THE ACCIDENT LIE AND THE COVER-UP

Enrique claimed that on October 29, 2025, he and Christine met in Talisay City, as she wanted him to accompany her to meet a buyer for her car. They were together in the victim’s car, with the police officer driving and the nurse in the passenger seat.

During the drive, Enrique claimed they got into an argument. He stated that his service projectile weapon was located between him and Christine, near the handbrake.

According to his statement, Christine suddenly grabbed his weapon. They struggled for control of the weapon, and in the ensuing struggle, Enrique accidentally discharged the weapon, fatally wounding Christine.

Overwhelmed by fear, Enrique drove from Talisay to Bago City, searching for a suitable place to leave his girlfriend’s remains. From Bago City, he drove again to Hinigaran, where he abandoned the victim’s car.

He then took a bus back to Bacolod City, acting as if nothing had occurred. Enrique offered to lead the authorities to the victim’s body.

Police and media accompanied Enrique to a vast sugarcane plantation in Bago City. Enrique stopped walking and pointed to Christine’s body, which was immediately visible to the police.

Enrique insisted that everything was an accident. However, police were unconvinced by his account.

Police questioned why, if it were an accident, Enrique executed a complex cover-up, abandoning the car and the body in two different cities. They also questioned why he didn’t immediately rush Christine to the nearest hospital.

IV. THE FAMILY’S ANGER AND THE FINAL CHARGES

Upon closer inspection, the nurse’s body was in a state of decomposition, indicating she had been deceased for some time. The autopsy confirmed that a single bullet ended Christine’s life.

More disturbingly, Christine was found without her lower clothing, with her legs slightly ajar. Police theorized that Enrique deliberately staged the scene to make it appear that Christine had been sexually assaulted, a crude attempt to mislead the investigation.

Christine’s family was shattered by the fate of the kind and diligent nurse. The victim’s son confirmed that the belongings found at the scene belonged to Christine.

Christine’s sister tearfully faced the media, expressing intense anger. She recounted how they had kindly welcomed Enrique into their home, serving him coffee while he pretended to mourn, all the while knowing her sister’s body lay cold somewhere.

The sister insisted that they were unaware of Christine’s secret relationship with the police officer, asserting they did not believe Enrique was truly her boyfriend. She also revealed that Enrique had even asked for their forgiveness, claiming he failed to accompany Christine to meet the car buyer.

The family later provided Enrique’s photo to the Hinigaran police. Witnesses at the police station identified Enrique as the driver who abandoned the victim’s car in the sugarcane field, contradicting his statement that he was not with Christine when the act occurred.

The victim’s sister vehemently rejected the accidental shooting claim, arguing that the bullet’s trajectory contradicted Enrique’s story. She demanded Christine’s three cell phones from Enrique, which he admitted were in his possession but refused to surrender.

The sister condemned the police officer for the brutal act and the subsequent cover-up, specifically citing the humiliation of finding Christine stripped, deliberately staging a violation scene to mislead the investigation. The heartbreaking story quickly spread online, causing a massive outcry in Negros Occidental and across the online world.

Netizens demanded justice for the kind nurse and businesswoman, widely expressing dismay that a police officer was the suspect. They rejected Enrique’s accident alibi, universally agreeing that the act was deliberate and demanding he face the full penalty of the law.

Enrique Gonzalodo was charged with administrative offenses and murder. He was immediately placed in the custody of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the Negros Island Region.

Police promised the case would be resolved within 60 days. On December 3, a loved one posted that the first trial hearing had occurred, praying for the truth to emerge and for Christine’s family to finally achieve the justice they desperately sought.