Girl raped, killed in cemetery

MANILA, Philippines - A 13-year-old girl was found dead behind a mausoleum at the La Loma (North) Cemetery in Caloocan City yesterday.

The Caloocan City police Women’s and Children’s Protection Desk said Paola Viray’s body was identified by her mother, Elizabeth, and aunt Odette Viray.

Crime scene investigators said the girl sustained severe head injuries and two stab wounds in the chest, and her body showed signs she had been raped.

They also believe the victim was killed because she knew her attacker.

The victim’s mother told police she had been looking for her daughter the other day when she failed to come home, which was unusual. They found the victim lifeless with her hands bound and her underthings missing.

Odette told police they received a text message from someone who introduced himself as a “concerned citizen,” saying the victim can be found behind the tomb. The sender, the Virays said, did not say that Paola was already dead.

This prompted police to believe that the suspect could be known to the victim and lived nearby.

Police also gathered from relatives that the victim was a first grade pupil at a local public school.

The victim reportedly is one among hundreds living in the cemetery. Police said Paola’s killer or killers have yet to be identified.