ILOILO – Authorities have confirmed that the 18-year-old girl found lifeless inside her bedroom in Barangay Ingay, Tubungan town on June 17 was sexually assaulted before her death. The autopsy, conducted by Dr. Owen Libaquen, revealed physical signs consistent with rape and possible foul play.
Tubungan police chief Captain Alfredo Manguilimutan said the victim identified as alias “Candie,” was discovered by her mother around 6 p.m. on Tuesday lying on the floor, partially covered with a blanket, bloodied, and with visible injuries to her face and body.
“Duguon ang nawong sang biktima nga nagmala na, may black-eye sa wala nga mata, may mga pilas sa kalawasan, kag mga lagob sa kilid. Natabunan siya sang habol, naga-gumon ang buhok, kag sang nasapwan siya, wala na sang panapton nga pang-idalom,” Manguilimutan described in an interview.
The mother, who lives just five to 10 meters away in a separate structure within the same compound, went to check on her daughter after noticing she had not come out all day from the house. She found the bedroom locked from the inside, with the back entrance of the house also secured, raising further suspicion.
According to Manguilimutan, police are currently looking into seven persons of interest, though it is still unclear whether they are connected as a group or acted independently.
“May mga ginatan-aw kita nga posibleng suspek, pero indi pa namon ma-final kon sin-o bangud kinahanglan pa i-review ang autopsy para sa mas klaro nga direksyon sang kaso,” he said.
The identification of these individuals was based on witness accounts and physical evidence gathered from the crime scene. Some witnesses claimed that on the night of June 16, a videoke session took place in the house, allegedly attended by friends or relatives of the victim’s older sibling. Police have yet to confirm who these guests were or the nature of the gathering.
Neighbors also reported hearing dogs barking aggressively around midnight of June 16, near the victim’s residence, which is located close to a cockpit arena. No events were held at the cockpit on that date, adding more uncertainty to the timeline and possible circumstances of the crime.
As of this writing, the Tubungan police continued to collect forensic evidence, including closed-circuit television camera footage, to piece together what happened. Investigators were not ruling out any possibilities and determined to pursue justice for the victim./PN
