On the night of April 11, 2025, a six-year international manhunt finally came to an end. Alan Dennis Lim Sytin, the main suspect in the 2018 murder of Filipino tycoon Dominic Sytin and the victim's own brother, was extradited from Malaysia to the Philippines.
At 11:20 PM that night, the escort plane landed at Terminal 3 of Manila International Airport, marking a new phase in the judicial trial of this shocking family murder case that rocked the Philippine business community.
International Manhunt: Six Years on the Run Under a Red Notice
Philippine police spokesperson Jean Fajardo revealed at a press conference held at the airport that 51-year-old Dennis Sytin, from San Juan, Metro Manila, had been on the run since 2020.
The Manila City Court had issued a warrant for his arrest on September 1, 2020, for the alleged murder of Dominic Sytin, and the case was classified as a "non-bailable" serious crime. Interpol issued a Red Notice for Dennis Sytin on January 24, 2020, initiating a global manhunt.
"The suspect was apprehended on March 22 at the Cobra Rugby Club in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia," Fajardo stated, "We are currently investigating how he entered Malaysia despite his passport being cancelled." The police specifically noted that a 10 million peso (approximately $180,000) reward offered by the Sytin family played a key role in pinpointing his hiding place.
This case is considered one of the most sensational family business murder cases in recent years in the Philippines. The victim, Dominic Sytin, was the founder and CEO of United Auctioneers Inc. (UAI), the largest auction platform for used trucks and heavy equipment in the Philippines.
On the evening of November 28, 2018, he was ambushed by a professional hitman outside the Lighthouse Hotel in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, shot three times, and died on the spot, while his bodyguard, Efren Espartero, was also fatally wounded in the attack.
Perfect Murder: Professional Hitman and Meticulously Planned Crime
Investigation documents show that the murder was executed with alarming professionalism. At 6:45 PM that evening, as soon as Dominic Sytin's car stopped at the hotel entrance, a long-lurking gunman approached and fired four shots from a .45 caliber pistol at close range (three hitting Dominic Sytin in the chest and head, and one hitting the driver).
Surveillance footage captured the gunman, dressed in a dark jacket and wearing a baseball cap, quickly escaping on a pre-arranged stolen motorcycle.
"The gunman had been lurking at the scene at least an hour in advance," the investigating officer revealed, "What's more shocking is that the victim's itinerary that day was highly confidential, known only to a very few trusted individuals." This key detail led the police to focus the investigation on internal personnel, eventually linking Dennis Sytin to intermediary Ryan Rementilla.
Rementilla, a former employee of United Auctioneers, was fired for embezzling 1 million pesos from the company. In March 2019, the actual gunman, Edgardo Luib, was arrested and confessed that he had met with Dennis Sytin and Rementilla in September 2018 at a resort in Subic to plan the murder, with a promised reward of 1 million pesos (only 50,000 pesos were actually paid).
Family Feud: Business Dispute Leads to Bloodshed
As the investigation deepened, a typical story of "family feud" emerged. Dennis Sytin was originally employed in the family business but was ousted from management and lost all shares after setting up a competing company and transferring equipment. Multiple witnesses confirmed that Dennis Sytin had repeatedly expressed resentment towards his brother before the incident, even threatening "to make him taste bitterness."
Key evidence obtained in the judicial investigation includes:
Intensive communication records between Dennis Sytin and Rementilla before and after the incident
Rementilla's mobile phone location near Dennis Sytin's residence before the incident
Suspicious funds transferred into an intermediary's account after the incident
Multiple employees confirmed intense conflicts between the brothers
On July 3, 2019, the Philippine Department of Justice issued a 58-page resolution formally charging Dennis Sytin with murder. In November of the same year, the gunman Luib was sentenced to 40 years in prison. However, Dennis Sytin fled the country until his arrest in Malaysia on March 22 this year.
Politics and Business Intertwined: The Power Network Behind the Case
The case continues to attract attention due to its involvement in the Philippine political and business network. Dominic Sytin had a close personal relationship with former President Duterte, who personally attended the funeral and consoled the family on December 2, 2018. With Rementilla's guilty plea in March 2025, the chain of evidence in the case became more complete.
Carlos Mandapa, a criminology professor at the University of the Philippines, pointed out: "This case reflects the typical contradictions in the succession of Philippine family businesses. When kinship, money, and power are entangled, it often leads to tragedy." According to statistics, about 17% of the vicious homicides in the Philippines in the past five years involved family disputes.
As the main suspects are gradually brought to justice, this shocking Philippine family murder case is about to face trial. However, the warnings left by this case are far from over—when business interests tear apart family ties, even the most meticulous criminal plans will ultimately pay a price.
