Yitzhak Cohen, a 37-year-old Israeli, and his partner, 27-year-old Filipino model Geneva Lopez, have been missing in the Philippines since the weekend. A burned, abandoned car, believed to be theirs, was discovered after they went missing.
Yitzhak's brother, Yaniv, told Ynet that Yitzhak went to meet someone he had known for years and hasn't been heard from since. He explained that Yitzhak had lent money to this person in the past, and they had arranged to meet regarding some land offered in return for the loan. "My sister spoke to Yitzhak an hour before it happened, and he never gave off the impression that he was even slightly concerned about it," said his brother.
The Cohen family suspects Yitzhak may have fallen victim to a scam and possibly did not survive. Yaniv said such scams are common, where successful businesspeople are targeted, kidnapped and ransomed.
Yaniv expressed deep concern, and said that the more time passes, the less likely is the chance of finding Yitzhak alive. The family is raising funds for a reward for information about his disappearance. In the Philippines, a 250,000 peso (nearly $14,000) reward campaign is already underway. They are in contact with the Israeli embassy, the consul and local authorities, though the local police are reportedly slow and not thorough.
Local reports indicate that Lopez’s sister, Joni, reported their disappearance after losing contact with them on Friday afternoon. The police lost contact with the couple on June 21 around 3 p.m. The burned-out car was found near Angeles City, where they lived. No human remains were found in the car.
Relatives said the couple was traveling to Capas, Tarlac province, to meet a person they did business with in 2021. Partially burnt documents with Lopez’s name were found in the car. The local police are reviewing security footage to gather more details.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed the case is being handled by the Israeli embassy in Manila and the Department for Israelis Abroad, with the Israeli consul in the Philippines working with local authorities and staying in touch with the family.