Slain teenage girl in Bacolod strangled, sexually assaulted – police
DEPASUCAT
BACOLOD CITY – A 17-year-old girl found hogtied and lifeless in a vacant grassy lot in Barangay 12, this city, died from asphyxia by ligature and tested positive for sexual assault, police said.
Police Capt. Francis Depasucat, head of Police Station 1, said the autopsy report indicated that the victim was strangled and had traces of semen in her body.
She sustained scratches and bruises, indicating physical abuse, Depasucat said, adding that it is possible the victim knew her attackers.
Investigators said at least two suspects are involved and they already have persons of interest, but the case remains challenging due to the lack of closed circuit television (CCTV) footage and absence of witnesses.
The Bacolod City Police Office has organized a Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) to focus on the case.
The victim’s parents are cooperating with authorities. Her mother saw her two weeks before the incident when she visited her, while her father would often check on her at her boarding house in Barangay 12.
The girl, a trainee in a construction firm, went missing after she left her boarding house on Oct. 21 to buy something.
Her body was discovered the next day by a passerby, with her lower garments pulled down.
Mayor Greg Gasataya here has offered a P100,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of the perpetrators.
He urged the public to assist in giving justice to the victim.
Gasataya said the BCPO has requested CCTV footage from nearby establishments and called on property owners to cooperate.
He asked Bredco port management to clear overgrown grasses in their areas and directed the Bacolod Environment and Natural Resources Office (BENRO) to clean government-owned lots nearby.
The mayor acknowledged the BCPO’s increased police visibility amid the incident.