Ex-Abuyog, Leyte vice mayor, son found dead; probe into motives ongoing

MANILA, Philippines – Authorities found the corpses of former Abuyog, Leyte vice mayor James Bohol, 60, and his son Carlou James, 28, on Tuesday, June 30, in Barangay Imelda, Silago, Southern Leyte. Their bodies were discovered three days after Bohol’s daughter, Faye, reported their abduction on Saturday, June 27. “My father, James Bohol, and my brother, Carlou James ‘Jimbo’ Bohol, were abducted at approximately 1 pm on Saturday, June 27, 2026, from their office inside a warehouse building located in Barangay Santa Cruz, Mayorga, Leyte,” Faye said on Monday, June 29. Abuyog Mayor Lemuel Traya said on Tuesday that the Philippine National Police (PNP) confirmed the demise of the former vice mayor and his son. “The Local Government Unit of Abuyog unequivocally condemns this heinous act of violence. Such profound lawlessness has no place in our society,” Traya said. According to the ex-vice mayor’s daughter, three unidentified men abducted Bohol and his son using a Mitsubishi Mirage with plate number GBA 6637 as their getaway vehicle. Faye added that the perpetrators were reportedly seen departing from the Santa Clara Port in Allen, Northern Samar at around 4:55 am on Sunday, June 28, in a gray Toyota Hilux with plate number HAH 5228. “They onboarded M/V Nelvin Jules, bound for Matnog Port, Sorsogon. My father and brother were not seen with them at that time,” Faye said. The father and son were reported missing at around 5:30 pm on Saturday, June 27. According to police, a witness saw three unidentified men enter the victim’s office on June 27, and left with the victims in a white vehicle. “The disappearance was reported to authorities by the victim’s live-in partner after the two could no longer be contacted through their mobile phones,” the Police Regional Office in Eastern Visayas (PRO 8) said in a message sent to reporters. Investigators later found a vehicle believed to have been used in the abduction at Sitio Bugho, Barangay Tingib in Basey, Samar. Born on January 6, 1966, in Katipunan, Zamboanga del Norte, Bohol was a businessman by profession and was the vice mayor of Abuyog from 2023 to 2025. In 2019, Bohol ran under the Duterte-led Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Laban (PDP-Laban) for the position of municipal councilor and won. In 2022, Bohol ran again under PDP-Laban and won his reelection bid for municipal councilor. At that time, incumbent Abuyog Mayor Lemuel Traya won the vice mayoral position while his father, Octavio Traya, Jr. won the mayoral seat. In 2023, Lemuel took his oath of office as mayor after his father after died. Subsequently, Bohol took his oath of office as vice mayor of Abuyog. In 2025, Bohol ran as an independent for the vice mayoral seat but lost to Dario Lleve, the local bet of the Nationalist People’s Coalition. As of this writing, police are looking into possible motives behind the killing, including a connection to Bohol’s business dealings and an individual who the former vice mayor allegedly had a conflict with. “Investigators continue to conduct case build-up, gather and process evidence, interview witnesses, pursue all possible leads, and coordinate with other law enforcement units to ensure the swift identification and arrest of the perpetrators,” the PRO 8 said. – with reports from Jazmin Bonifacio/Rappler.com