TIMELINE: How Rafael Dumlao, the mastermind behind the murder of Jee Ick Joo, was arrested
Authorities have arrested former police lieutenant colonel Rafael Dumlao III, the convicted mastermind in the kidnapping and killing of South Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo, on Tuesday, June 9.
The arrest marks a breakthrough in a case that has haunted law enforcement and the public for nearly a decade, dating back to the previous Duterte administration's anti-drug campaign.
But before authorities finally caught up with him, Dumlao managed to stay out of reach for almost two years after his conviction.
How did it all go down? Here's a breakdown of the events that transpired.
The murder of Jee Ick Joo
In October 2016, South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo and his house helper were abducted from his home in Angeles City, Pampanga by police officers claiming to be conducting an anti-drug operation allegedly led by SPO3 Ricky Sta. Isabel. Investigators later found that Jee was taken to Camp Crame, where he was allegedly strangled inside a vehicle. Meanwhile, the helper was released the following day.
Jee's captors allegedly demanded a P5-million ransom from his family, which they paid in front of a mall in Porac, Pampanga in the same month.
The suspects demanded an additional P4.5 million, but Jee's wife, Kyungjin Choi, refused, as they failed to show proof of life.
An investigation was launched, and Choi offered a P100,000 reward for leads on Jee's location in January 2017.
Days later on Jan. 16, 2017, Sta. Isabel surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation, as he believed he was not safe under the Philippine National Police.
On Jan. 17, the NBI confirmed that Jee was dead after it received a tip that led them to a funeral parlor in Caloocan City, where the businessman was cremated, and his ashes were flushed down a toilet.
Case breakdown
In January 2017, then-Supt. Rafael Dumlao III, former NBI asset Jerry Omlang, and three police officers, including Sta. Isabel, were arrested. Former president Rodrigo Duterte identified Dumlao as the mastermind of the slay.
In 2018, Omlang and Sta. Isabel were reportedly detained in the NBI jail facility while Dumlao was jailed in Camp Crame before the suspects asked for a transfer of facility due to threats to their lives.
In 2023, the Angeles City Regional Trial Court acquitted Dumlao while convicting Sta. Isabel and Omlang of kidnapping with homicide.
However, the Court of Appeals overturned Dumlao's acquittal in September 2024, finding him guilty of kidnapping with homicide and sentencing him to reclusion perpetua without parole. He was also ordered to serve a separate 35-year prison sentence for carnapping.
By then, Dumlao had reportedly gone into hiding, prompting Philippine authorities to seek an Interpol Red Notice against him.
Dumlao takedown
In 2025, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said investigators were able to track Dumlao after three weeks of focused surveillance on his family members' movements.
On June 7, Dumlao was traced after reportedly watching his daughter's wedding through Facebook Live, giving away his identity and location.
Through an informant's intel, he was then arrested at a house with high walls and thick vegetation in Barangay Pasong Tamo, Quezon City by the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.
Jee's killing drew widespread condemnation in South Korea and became one of the most infamous crimes associated with Duterte's controversial "war on drugs."
