Teener arrested in Cabatuan rape-slay of 11 yr old
Shock and grief reigns in a small hinterland village in Cabatuan, Iloilo following yesterday's (Tuesday) discovery of the body of an 11 year-old girl apparently a victim of rape and homicide.
Stripped of her underpants, the victim was identified by family members as Fifth Grader Michelle Baron of Barangay Janipaan Oeste. When found early morning yesterday, her body and face bore massive signs of injuries consistent to that of being mauled. A check into the crime scene also showed that she was dragged through the forested area and left for dead under a mango tree.
The suspect, witnesses similarly told authorities, was 15 year-old relative Anthony Pineda who was immediately rounded up by the locals and other family members. He is now in police custody where radio reports said he admitted the crime to Senior Inspector Agustin Huesca, Cabatuan Police Chief.
A certain Benjie who was among those first to 'arrest' the suspect told Bombo Radyo reporter Eddiemar Bebit of similar admission however in a later interview, Pineda denied the charges while professing innocence on the rape-slay of his second cousin.
The victim, initial investigation disclosed, left the house of a relative where she stayed overnight for a funeral wake. The suspect on the other hand was on a continued drinking spree with other male cousins when he suddenly left seconds after the 11 year-old was spotted leaving the wake.
News broke out on the gruesome discovery when an elderly neighbor alerted the community.
No other suspects are being eyed on the crime with police expected to file rape with homicide charges today.