ILOILO – The Lambunao municipal police are closing in on six persons of interest in the gruesome killing of a seven-year-old girl whose body — bound, unclothed, and stuffed inside a sack — was found in her home in Barangay Tampucao on November 8, shocking the quiet upland town and sparking public outrage.
Police Captain Jose Winston Biadog, chief of the Lambunao Municipal Police Station, confirmed in a radio interview that investigators are pursuing multiple leads in the case, which is being treated as both a homicide and a possible sexual assault.
“We have identified six persons of interest linked to the case,” Biadog said. “Four have already undergone DNA swabbing, while two others were invited for laboratory testing.”
Authorities are also tracking a possible seventh suspect who was reportedly seen near the crime scene around the time of the incident.
“We are verifying information about another individual who may have been in the vicinity on the same day,” Biadog added.
The collected DNA samples are set to be sent to the regional crime laboratory in Cebu, where forensic testing could take up to a month. However, the Lambunao police are coordinating with the Iloilo Police Provincial Office to speed up the process.
Grisly discovery
The girl’s grandmother made the horrifying discovery inside the girl’s home — her granddaughter’s lifeless body tied at the neck and hidden in a sack. The girl was rushed to a hospital, but doctors declared her dead on arrival.
Initial findings pointed to possible sexual assault.
“Gin ano (gintandog)… gid tana ang bata eh,” said the victim’s aunt, Rea Leyza, said in an emotional interview, citing the initial findings of the police’s Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO).
Leyza added: “Kon sin-o man ang naghimo sini sa hinablos ko, kabay pa nga mataw-an hustisya ang gin himo ya, kay perte gid kasakit para sa amon. Waay gid ya kaluoy sa bata nga amo pa lang na edad na.”
Justice sought
The Lambunao police have intensified patrols and house-to-house inquiries to ease public fear and gather additional witnesses. Community meetings are also being organized to address residents’ safety concerns and provide emotional support to the bereaved family.
An autopsy was set to determine the exact cause of death and confirm whether the child was sexually assaulted. Authorities are appealing to anyone with information about the crime or suspicious activity near the area to come forward.
“This is a heinous act that has deeply affected our community,” Biadog said. “We are exhausting every possible lead to ensure justice for the victim and her family.”/PN
