Woman 'raped,' body dumped in cemetery

JANIUAY, ILOILO ,Philippines  - The decomposing body of an unidentified woman was found inside the public cemetery of this town at dusk on Sunday.

Police reports said that the municipal postman, who was going to visit his wife's grave, discovered the body, but before that, several residents had informed the police for assistance to check on the foul odor from inside the cemetery.

Police believed that the woman could have been raped because she was not wearing any underwear when found, while her yellow blouse was raised upward and her white jogging pants was only half-worn.

Inspector Jigger Gimeno, Janiuay Police chief, theorized that the victim, about 18 to 22 years old, could have been dead for not less than three days. "We have a hard time identifying her because she was already on an advanced state of decomposition," he said.

Yesterday, the father of a missing teenager was supposed to take a look at the body but it was postponed until the foul odor subsides. "Tama gid kabaho," Gimeno said.

Initial investigation showed that the victim's cadaver had injuries on her head that could have been caused by a hard object struck on it. An autopsy will be done to determine if she was sexually molested and what caused her death.