By DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – A 16-year-old senior high school student was found dead near a river in Barangay Cabahug, Cadiz City, Negros Occidental on Saturday, Dec. 10.
Authorities believe that the victim identified as April Bacato, a Grade 11 student and a resident of the aforementioned city, may have also been raped.
Cadiz City police chief, Police Lt. Colonel Gil John Despi, said at around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, they received a call from a concerned citizen that they had discovered the remains of a teenage girl floating at the Panikion River in the village’s Sitio Morente.
Police immediately proceeded on the scene to recover the remains.
Based on statements given by Bacato’s classmates, the victim went missing shortly after being released from school last Dec. 9.
An initial post-mortem examination of Bacato’s remains revealed that she sustained a total of 11 stab wounds all over her body.
It is still unconfirmed if the victim was raped and police are still requesting for an additional autopsy to be performed to determine if Bacato was also sexually assaulted.
A follow-up operation conducted by police later resulted in the arrest of the suspect, whom Despi has temporarily not named as there could be more suspects involved in the crime.
Despi said they recovered some of Bacato’s clothes at the suspect’s house, along with the knife believed to have been used in the killing.
The suspect had also admitted to killing Bacato, claiming that he was “infuriated” with the teenage girl.
Police are continuing their investigation into the incident, while the suspect is now detained at the Cadiz City Police Station./PN
