A white American man was charged and arrested for the murder of his wife from the Philippines

 

A white American man was charged and arrested for the murder of his wife from the Philippines 

By Edward Era Barbacena

A white American husband of a American-Asian woman from the Philippines living in Colorado Springs  who has been missing for more than two years was arrested for her murder on Wednesday.

Dane Kallungi, 38, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the death of Jepsy Amaga Kallungi, 26, who has been missing since April 2019. Kallungi made an attempt trying to get onto an Air Force base in Albuquerque, New Mexico..

Court records show Kallungi was wanted for a crime committed on March 20, 2019—the last day Jepsy’s mother, Margie Amaga, heard from her daughter. Amaga, who is based in Hong Kong, has been pleading for the public’s help in finding her child.

Amaga told the local  in April 2019 that the two often communicated through Facebook Messenger. When her daughter didn't appear online after a few weeks, she got worried.

Colorado Springs police opened a murder investigation that April after completing a wellness call on Jepsy and was not able to find her.

Her husband was able to keep a story and lame excuse that Jepsy told him she was going to visit friends in either the Philippines, where she emigrated from in 2017, or Chicago. He claims she left without her phone or identification.

The couple met in 2017 through an online dating app, Margie told KOAA, with Jepsy moving to the U.S. from the Philippines to marry him. The two were married in July that year.

Margie has been trying to get a visa to the U.S. to find her daughter.

“It’s really hard for me. It’s really painful for me because I am very far,” she said. “I don’t know where I find her. I don’t know. I’m only alone.”

The Search for Jepsy and Dane’s Response

Margie Amaga, Jepsy’s mom, lived in Hong Kong. She knew something was wrong after a couple days of not hearing from her daughter because the two spoke frequently. When she tried to contact Jepsy's husband, Dane, he said that he thought she had gone to Chicago, the Philippines, or Mexico to visit friends. Soon after Jepsy went missing, Dane moved to California to live with his father. He later told Margie Amaga that he and Jepsy had actually recently separated and she was seeing a new man named “Travis”. Furthermore, he said that he hopes she,” didn’t get into any trouble with him”. Jepsy’s friends and family, however, denied knowing anything about either “Travis” or their alleged separation. Dane deactivated his social media soon after Jepsy’s disappearance. A news report from April 11, 2019, claims that court records show that Dane and Jepsy divorced in January, 2019.

According to an article from Fox21, Rhanae met Jepsy in Chicago a year before her disappearance. She said Jepsy’s relationship seemed toxic. When Jepsy decided to move back to Colorado to work on her marriage, Rhanae asked her why she was giving Dane a second chance. Jepsy said,” I want to try the relationship and give him a second chance”. The two had kept in touch via social media, which Jepsy used frequently. Fox21 tried to contact Dane but could not reach him, despite trying 2 different numbers..

On Friday, police announced evidence supports the theory that a domestic disturbance occurred where Dane Kallungi strangled Jepsy Kallungi and buried her body in an unknown location.

“Detectives conducted numerous interviews and executed nearly three dozen search warrants since this investigation was initiated,” Lt. James Sokolik wrote in a news release. “Detectives have also recovered and processed numerous items of physical evidence. Based on the testimonial and physical evidence that have been obtained throughout this extensive investigation, Detectives applied for and obtained an arrest warrant for 38-year-old Dane Oliver Kallungi.”

Up to now, the body of Jepsy has not been found.