Mark Arjay Reyes and Sherra De Juan. Photo courtesy of Mark Arjay Reyes
MANILA -- Mark Arjay Reyes and Sherra De Juan were supposed to get married on Sunday, December 14, at around 4:00 p.m. in North Fairview, Quezon City.
However, the long-awaited wedding never took place. Instead of celebration, the occasion was overtaken by fear, anxiety, and uncertainty.
Mark’s bride-to-be, who is also known as "Sarah," mysteriously disappeared four days before their scheduled wedding.
According to Mark, a 31-year-old IT engineer, his 30-year-old fiancée—who works as a bookkeeper—sent him a chat message at around 1:00 p.m. on December 10, informing him that she was heading to Fairview Center Mall to buy the shoes she would wear on their wedding day.
Mark said Sarah was especially happy that day because she had just received her wedding gown.
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At the time, Mark was at work and could not accompany her to the mall, which is located near Sarah’s home in North Fairview.
However, when Mark arrived home later that day, he began to worry after realizing that his fiancée had not yet returned.
He was unable to contact her because she had left her cellphone at home to charge.
As night fell, Mark and Sarah’s family began searching for her.
“Kinabahan na ako kasi sobrang tagal na 5 hours na mahigit,“ Mark said.
“Noong hindi po namin siya makita, mga I think 7 pm, pumunta na po kami ng Barangay North Fairview,“ he added.
CCTV footage recorded at around 1:25 p.m. showed Sarah walking through an alley near their home.
She was then captured again on barangay CCTV at around 1:29 p.m. while crossing Atherton Street near a fast-food restaurant. She was last seen on camera at a gasoline station at around 1:37 p.m.
Mark said they also checked the mall where Sarah was supposed to buy her shoes, but she did not appear in any of the available CCTV footage.
“Nagreview po kami ng mga cctv sa Fairview center mall, atleast tatlong CCTV footages pero wala po, mayroon po CCTV sa may entrance pero as per the management po ng mall is under maintenance po,” Mark said.
To this day, Mark has no idea where his fiancée is or who may be behind her disappearance just days before their wedding.
He stressed that they had no misunderstandings or conflicts prior to her disappearance.
In fact, Mark described Sarah as the person who changed his life.
“Siya lang talaga yung nagpabago sa akin sir, siya yung nagtiyaga sa ugali ko, parang tiniyaga niya ako ng tiniyaga hanggang sa mag fit ako na partner sa kaniya hanggang sa mag-decide na kami magpakasal,” Mark said.
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Mark said it is deeply painful that the woman he loves and dreamed of spending his life with suddenly vanished without explanation.
“Mahal, Sherra, umuwi ka na, hindi lang naman ako yung naghihintay sa iyo, dami nagmamahal sa iyo, katrabaho mo, mama ilang araw ng walang tigil ang pag-iyak, papa mo, hinihintay ka namin dito,” Mark pleaded.
The couple had been living together for five years, and in 2023, they decided to get married.
“Mabigat po talaga sa loob na biglang nawala, kasi po ilang taon din namin siya pinaghandaan, 2023 pa lang engaged na kami. Kasabay nito, mag 10 years na rin kami sa January kaya excited kami sir. Ang dami namin plano gawin after the wedding kasi gusto namin magkaanak, gusto naming paayos bahay namin,” Mark added.
Even Sherra’s siblings said they could not find any reason for her sudden disappearance, especially since she had been excitedly preparing wedding accessories.
“Ito sana yung araw na pinakamasaya para sa iyo dahil first time sa magkakapatid natin na may ikakasal, pero ito kami ngayon naghahanap sa iyo. Sana okay ka lang at makita ka namin,” said Darie De Juan, Sherra’s sibling.
Although everything was already prepared—the entourage, sponsors, wedding venue, reception, and giveaways—Mark had no choice but to cancel the wedding and focus all his efforts on finding his missing bride-to-be.
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“Kung sinuman po ang may hawak sa kanya, please lang po, pakiusap po, pakiingatan po, huwag nyo po sasaktan, sana ibalik nyo po sa amin ng maayos po, marami po nagmamahal kay Sherra po, sobrang bait po ng tao niyan,” Mark appealed.
Mark has posted Sherra’s photos and contact numbers on posts and walls to help locate her. He has also issued public appeals on social media.
He has offered a ₱20,000 reward for any information that could lead to Sherra’s whereabouts.
Mark has also submitted his fiancée’s cellphone to Quezon City Police Station 5 for technical analysis.
Mark continues to hope that one day, his fiancée will return home safely—and that the wedding they once dreamed of will still come true.
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