Missing 10-year-old girl found dead; suspect who last saw her alive now in police custody

• The week-long search for a 10-year-old girl in Bataraza, Palawan ended in tragedy after her body was discovered in a creek in Barangay Bulalacao.
• Prior to her disappearance, the victim had joined her friends on November 29 to sell vegetables at the market, a routine activity that unexpectedly turned into the last time she was seen alive
• According to her friends, “the suspect dropped us off in the población… but took the victim with him,” a crucial detail now central to the ongoing police investigation
• Authorities have already taken the suspect into custody on murder charges, while an autopsy is being prepared to determine the exact cause of death and shed more light on what happened to the young girl

A week-long search in Bataraza, Palawan ended in tragedy after the body of a 10-year-old girl was found in a creek in Barangay Bulalacao. The discovery was reported by Kenneth Calumris of Super Radyo Palawan on Super Radyo dzBB.

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According to the initial investigation, the girl went with her friends on November 29 to sell vegetables at the local market.

Later that evening, a man—now identified as the suspect—allegedly offered to bring the children home on his motorcycle after speaking with the mother of the victim’s friends.

However, things took a disturbing turn. The victim’s two friends told authorities that “the suspect dropped us off in the población, saying he would fetch his sibling and return for us.”

Instead, he reportedly took only the victim, who was never seen alive again.

Police are now working to determine what transpired after that moment. The victim’s remains will undergo autopsy to establish the exact cause of death.

Meanwhile, the suspect is already in police custody and is facing a murder complaint. Investigators continue to gather statements and evidence as the community awaits justice for the young victim.

In other news, a 54-year-old woman was arrested on the spot while applying for a police clearance after officers found she had an active warrant for qualified theft. Her former employer had accused her of taking nearly P90,000 over the course of her fifteen years working as a household helper. At first, the woman acknowledged that she was the same person identified in the June 2022 warrant, but she later took back her admission and insisted she had no knowledge of any case filed against her. She is now set to face the charges linked to the theft complaint and must respond to the long-pending accusations made by her former employer.

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Meanwhile, in Sadanga, Mountain Province, a man was taken into custody after he violently struck and killed a pet American Bully named Axel using a heavy wooden plank. The suspect tried to defend his actions by claiming the dog had urinated on him, citing an unverified superstition that such an incident brings misfortune. Mayor Robert Wanawan strongly condemned the attack and confirmed that the suspect has been charged under existing animal cruelty laws. As an animal welfare group demands swift accountability from authorities, local officials have started drafting a new ordinance aimed at preventing similar acts of violence in the future.

Source: KAMI.com.gh