Bride-to-be-goes missing days before wedding; QCPD deploys special investigation team for search
It has been six days since Sherra "Sarah" de Juan, 30, went missing. She was supposed to marry her fiancée Mark Arjay Reyes last Sunday, Dec. 14.
Reyes, an IT engineer, and de Juan, a bookkeeper, who have been living together for five years now, will be celebrating their 10th anniversary as a couple in January. They've been engaged since 2023.
According to an ABS-CBN report, the last time de Juan communicated with Reyes, 31, was on Dec. 10, when she sent him a message saying she was planning to go buy her wedding shoes at a mall in North Fairview that afternoon. Her wedding gown had just arrived, making her especially excited, said Reyes.
Around 6 p.m., Reyes arrived home from work and saw that de Juan had not yet returned. She had left her cellphone to charge. This didn't alarm him initially, since, according to him, de Juan normally went to the market around that time of the day.
But when 7 p.m. came, and she still hadn't come home, Reyes and de Juan's brother went to Barangay North Fairview to report her possible disappearance.
CCTV footage of the barangay showed de Juan walking down an alley near their home at 1:25 p.m. By 1:29, she was seen on footage crossing Atherton St. close to a fast-food restaurant. At 1:37 p.m., her image was captured standing at a gasoline station.
A search through the CCTV footage of the mall de Juan was supposed to go to did not yield results despite Reyes checking input from at least three cameras.
Reyes and de Juan's family have sought help from the Quezon City Police Department Station 5 and have submitted de Juan's cellphone for technical analysis.
A DZRH report stated the QCPD is currently deep in its investigation of de Juan's disappearance, with QCPD Director Police Colonel Glenn Silvio ordering the creation of a Special Investigation Team for this purpose.
A P20,000 reward will be given to whoever can give substantial information about de Juan's location. Call or message the following numbers if you have any leads: 0967-1270266, 0912-3353694, 0917-8368166.
Pleas for Sarah de Juan's safe return
"Mahal, Sherra, umuwi ka na kasi hindi lang naman ako 'yung naghihintay sa 'yo dito. Ang daming nagmamahal sa 'yo, mga katrabaho mo. Mama mo, ilang araw nang walang tigil ang iyak. Papa mo, hanggang ngayon may sakit pa rin. Hinihintay ka namin dito," Reyes said on his TV Patrol interview, addressing his fiancé.
De Juan's brother Darie, similarly called for his sister to come home.
"First time sa magkakapatid natin na may ikakasal pero eto kami ngayon, naghahanap sa 'yo. Sana okay ka lang at makita ka namin," he said.
The company where de Juan works also put out a call on Facebook for her return.
"Sherra has been an integral part of Upcloud Accounting for more than six years. She is not only an exceptional professional and a true asset to our team, but also a person deeply loved by our clients and everyone she works with. Her kindness, dedication, and warm presence have touched so many of us, and it is heartbreaking to face each day without her," the company wrote.
"We are united in prayer for her safe return and well-being. We urge anyone with information to please come forward and help bring Sherra home," they continued.
On Dec. 14, their supposed wedding day, Reyes posted a series of photos of himself and de Juan, writing, "Today, 9 years and 11 months na tayo as BF/GF, first day sana as husband and wife. Dapat masaya tayo ngayon eh kasi eto 'yung pangarap nating dalawa eh. Pero eto na 'yung naging ika-5th day ng paghahanap namin sayo and sobrang bigat sa pakiramdam namin ng mga tao na sobrang mahal na mahal ka na lumilipas 'yung mga araw na 'di ka namin nakikita."
Groom: 'Wag niyo po kami gawing katatawanan'
In his Facebook Stories, Reyes posted a reminder to content creators who are using his situation for clout. "Etong 'pag trending ng pagkawala ni mahal, mawawala eventually, pero 'yung sakit na nararamdaman ko at ng pamilya ng fiancee ko at ng malalapit na kaibigan niya, patuloy naming mararamdaman habang tumatagal 'yung pagkawala niya," he wrote.
"Be kind. It's free. 'Wag nyo gamitin 'yung situation namin for your personal gains. Please lang. Magpakatao kayo," he added.
In an interview with ABS-CBN News, Reyes also asked the same of those sharing fake news about de Juan's disappearance.
"Panawagan ko lang po doon sa mga nagpapakalat ng fake news, nagpapakalat ng speculations or what, tigilan niyo na po. Tigilan niyo na po," he said.
"'Wag niyo po kami gawing katatawanan. 'Wag niyo kaming gawing content para makakuha kayo ng views, ng followers," Reyes added.
"'Yung mga tumatawag na nananakot, 'yung mga tumatawag na biglang pinapatay [ang linya], nagcha-chat na kasama daw nila, hawak daw nila, kailangan nang ibigay 'yung reward, tantanan niyo na."
