POLICE arrested a man who allegedly killed his nine-year-old stepdaughter whose body was found covered with stones and clothes at a vacant lot in Quezon City, Tuesday.
Investigators of the Quezon City Police District-Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit identified the victim as Michaella Bernardino, a Grade 4 student; and the suspect, Mark Cayetano, 24, residents of Lupang Pangako in Barangay Payatas B.
According to the victim’s grandmother, the girl had been missing since Sunday afternoon, prompting her to report to authorities.
Report showed that a 12-year-old girl was about to pee at the grassy vacant lot also in Lupang Pangako at around 9:30 a.m. when she noticed feet under a pile of stones.
The girl hurriedly left the place and told her mother about her find. The mother relayed the information to the authorities.
Police officers arrived at the scene and discovered a belt strap tied around the victim’s neck.
Bernardino’s mother also went at the crime scene and positively identified the body as her daughter’s.
Cursory examination also showed that there are bruises on the victim’s body and her face seemed to have been hit by a stone.
Police have yet to establish if the victim was raped before she was killed.
During investigation, another witness also told police that she was about to throw a used tarpaulin into the vacant lot around 11:30 a.m. Monday when she saw Cayetano carrying the crying victim on his shoulder.
Police learned that the suspect was previously charged with child abuse for hurting one of his live-in partner’s children, but the case was dropped.
After collating statements of the witnesses, policemen went to the house of the victim where they arrested Cayetano who admitted the crime.
Investigators said Cayetano will also undergo a drug test to check if he was using illegal drugs. The victim’s body was brought to the PNP Crime Laboratory for autopsy and genital examination while further investigation is ongoing. (Alexandria San Juan)
