Raped girl’s body fished out of river

MEXICO, Pampanga — A 13-year-old girl, missing since Sunday, was found dead yesterday, her half-naked body fished out of the Abacan River here. She was raped and apparently died of drowning when her assailant dumped her in the river, police said.

And witnesses tagged a 13-year-old boy, a known shabu user, as a possible suspect. They claimed having seen him together with the victim, a Grade 3 pupil, before she disappeared.

The girl, her mother told investigators, had been missing since Sunday afternoon. When she failed to return home by midnight, her parents sought the help of barangay officials and the police.

Police said the girl had bruises all over her body, indicating that she struggled with her assailant before she was sexually molested.

They added that she apparently drowned in the river where her rapist dumped her.

Police are hunting down the 13-year-old boy who has gone missing.

Meanwhile, residents of San Fernando City have expressed alarm over rising cases of burglary. Last Tuesday, at least three burglaries were reported, and police have put the blame on a syndicate.

Investigators said two persons broke into the houses of a certain Lourdes Deang and Myrna Gabriel at Rockville Subdivision in Barangay Malpitic, carting away appliances, cash and jewelry.

On the same day, Jasmin Garcia of Barangay Dolores reported that burglars also broke into her apartment and stole all her appliances.

Police have reported a rise in criminality in the region: from 7,835 cases in 2000 to 8,924 cases last year. A crime is committed every one hour and 24 minutes in the region, statistics showed. — With Ric Sapnu