VACC to help family of slain girl in Antique
The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) is supporting the family of the young girl murdered and believed raped in Antique province find justice.
VACC chair Dante Jimenez said he will visit the family of Kirsten Mejica this week to show their support and to prod law enforcement agencies to resolve the case.
“We will provide the family moral and legal support,” Jimenez said in a telephone interview on Saturday.
Mejica, 16 (not 15 as previously reported), was found half-naked with her head bludgeoned on the night of January 31 at grassy and vacant lot in the Barangay Funda-Dalipe in the capital town of San Jose de Buenavista. She died later at the provincial hospital.
Her 16-year old male companion was also hit on the head, lost consciousness but survived and sought assistance.
Police detained a 16-year-old laborer on February 4 who confessed to hitting Kirsten's male companion because of a long-time grudge.
The suspect said in his confession that he killed Kirsten to eliminate any witness to the crime. He, however, denied the that he raped her.
Investigators have said that while there was suspected seminal fluid on the victim, there was no available evidence to show that the girl was raped.
“It was observed that the crime scene did not show any sign of struggle where the victim was found half-naked, wearing only her t-shirt. Her head was supported by her slippers while her underwear and jogging pants were still attached to her right leg,” said Chief Supt. Isagani Cuevas, Western Visayas police director, in a report dated February 19 to the Director for Investigation and Detective Management of the Philippine National Police.
But Kirtsen's eldest brother, Ramy Rex, said they continue to believe that her sister was killed and raped by two or more persons.
“We are waiting for the NBI autopsy report to shed light on what really happened and we call on the police to speed up their investigation,” said Ramy Rex in a telephone interview on Saturday.
Jimenez said he is going to Antique to find out what really happened because he has been getting “mixed information” about the incident.
E-mailed messages from a person who identifies himself as “Restituto Tapacal” have been sent to newspaper editors and columnists, television and radio stations in Manila citing radio reports of alleged gory details of the incident.
“Tapacal,” who said he is a resident of Barangay Nasuli-C in Anini-y town in Antique, claimed in his e-mail that the victim was brought to an area adjacent to the provincial police headquarters and was found the next day.
He also claimed that the victim's face bore lacerations and her sexual organ was slashed and stuffed with sand, plastic and pieces of wood. The victim's father suffered a stroke and died, according to Tapacal.
But these claims have been denied by both the Kirsten's family and the police.
On Friday, a 52-year old man named Restituto T. Tapacal, a barangay councilor in Casay village in Anini-y executed an affidavit denying sending or having any knowledge of the e-mail. Anini-y is 35 km south of San Jose.
In his one-page affidavit, Tapacal said he executed the statement voluntarily because he was questioned by the town police on the e-mails. He said he does not know how to use a computer and have no knowledge of the incident.
Reached by e-mail, the person sending the e-mails said the statement he circulated were quoted from initial reports from a local radio station.
“The only inconsistencies there was that the father did not die as reported earlier (thank God!), and that the boyfriend did not immediately make it home but was rushed to the hospital unconscious but recovered after (three) days at the hospital. Other details mentioned were fairly accurate,” the person said.
Jimenez said that while the e-mail sender could have good intentions in calling the attention of the media and government agencies on the case, the person should not exaggerate details of the incident.
“It's unfair to the family,” said Jimenez.