International Manhunt Underway For Former Aurora Resident

AURORA, IL — An international manhunt for the suspect in the murder of a Northbrook attorney spans from Aurora, to Mexico 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, at the 2200 block of Boxford Court. 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 homicide was related to his role in a lawsuit involving Panaligan's home health care business and allegations of fraud.
Patel's killing was Northbrook's first recorded murder in five years.

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. Detectives believe he may have access to large amounts of money and help from family members. Panaligan has family throughout the Philippines and a 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.

Patel's widow, Amy, told the Philippine television channel Balitang America that her husband had won an appellate court decision in a case involving Panaligan's family business, Vital Wellness Home Health, just a week before he was murdered.

"My opinion is that Panaligan went after my husband because he was getting closer to learning the truth of his fraudulent business," Patel said.

Court documents from September 2016 show that three years prior in court, John and Jenneth Panaligan objected to the plaintiff's request to see 2008 tax returns, and they couldn't produce bank records from 2006 for their Naperville business, Vital Wellness Home Health, Inc.

Her husband and other people involved in the lawsuit had been "targeted," she said. With Panaligan still out there somewhere, Patel said she remains in fear for her life and her children.

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

Patch Editor Jonah Meadows contributed to this article.

Main image courtesy of Northbrook PD