International Manhunt For Northbrook Murder Suspect

NORTHBROOK, IL — An international manhunt for the suspect in the murder of a Northbrook attorney spans from Aurora, to Mexico, Canada and to the Philippines, as the man believed to have strangled Jigar Patel, 36, inside his downtown law office last December remains at large, authorities said Wednesday.

John G. Panaligan, 51, has been charged with first-degree murder, and the federal government has issued an international alert for his arrest and extradition. His last known address was in Aurora, but he also owns property in the city of Tuy, in the Philippine province of Batangas, where his brother-in-law is mayor, police said.

Patel, a Prospect Heights resident with two young daughters, was found dead in his third floor law offices at 1363 Shermer Road about 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 7, 2016.

Investigators and his widow believe his killing, Northbrook's first recorded murder in five years, was related to his role in a lawsuit involving Panaligan's home health care business and allegations of fraud.

"My husband was murdered for doing his job and coming close to the truth" about Vital Wellness Home Health, Patel's widow, Amy, told Patch. Panaligan went after Patel because he was exposing "his fraudulent business," she believes.

In January, police released photographs of a man with a cane and a mask appearing to avoid security cameras in the building. Investigators believe the images show Panaligan wearing a disguise.

For years, police said, Panaligan has made money transfers to foreign bank accounts, including some in the Philippines, where he has citizenship. Detectives believe he may have access to large amounts of money and help from family members. Panaligan has family throughout the Philippines and his brother-in-law, Jose Jecerell C. Cerrado, is the mayor of the municipality of Tuy.

Panaligan is believed to have slipped out of the country over the Mexican border near El Paso, Texas in January 2017, police said. And some of his known associates have been sending money to the Mexican state of Durango, according to evidence gathered by investigators.

But before that, the Canada Border Services Agency says Panaligan was arrested at the border with a gun just two days after the murder, as he tried to cross from North Dakota. On Dec. 22, he pleaded guilty to smuggling, was fined $9,000, ordered to turn over the .40 caliber gun found in his car, sentenced to 11 days in jail and released with time served, according to a spokesperson for the agency.

After he returned, Northbrook police questioned him but did not gather enough evidence to get an arrest warrant until after he had fled.

Patel's widow believes her husband was targeted because he had recently won court cases against Panaligan and his wife, Jenneth, who were accused of defrauding their partners.

"As Jigar dug further and further into the case, it was becoming obvious both John and Jenneth were conducting fraudulent activities such as Medicare fraud, tax evasion, 'cooking the books,' bankruptcy fraud, lying to investors," and getting closer to uncovering what Amy Patel described as the Panaligan's "fraudulent business," which continues to operate a Naperville office.

Her husband and other people involved in the lawsuit had been specifically targeted over several years prior to 2014, she said. Molotov cocktails were thrown into the window of his law firm's office, bullet holes were found in the side of the building and someone tried to set the building on fire.

"At the time, we didn't know the connection," she said, but she later came to believe the incidents all follow a similar pattern with a common factor.

With Panaligan still a wanted fugitive and his wife still running their business from Colorado, Patel said she remains in fear for her life and her children.

Jenneth Panaligan has not responded to a message seeking comment.

Anyone with information is asked to call the investigations unit of the Northbrook Police Department at 847-664-4464.

Related:

• Suspect On The Run After Northbrook Lawyer's Murder
• Police Release Photos of Suspect in Murder of Northbrook Lawyer
• Lawyer Killed in Northbrook Office Strangled in Targeted Attack, Police Say

_{Top photo via Northbrook PD}