A 14-year-old girl, believed to have been raped by her own cousin, was found dead in a rice field in Brgy. 10, Victorias City, Negros Occidental, at about 7 a.m. yesterday.

The family of Renia Joy Guasa of Hacienda Mimi in Brgy. 10 had been looking for her when she failed to come home Tuesday night, and was later informed that her body had been found in the rice field about 300 meters away from their house, Police Officer 3 Alan Silverio told the DAILY STAR.

Guasa had head injuries, and there is also an indication that she had been raped because her shorts and underwear had been pulled down to her knees, and her brassiere and blouse were rolled up, a police record showed.

A follow-up operation conducted by the Victorias City police led to the arrest of Guasa’s cousin, Joshua Espartero, 22, at Hacienda Santa Rita, Brgy. San Pablo in Manapla town, Negros Occidental, at about 4 p.m. yesterday, after he was tagged as the prime suspect, Victorias City Police chief, Supt. Alexander Muñoz said.

Guasa’s mother, Merlinda, said Espartero went to their house at about 6 p.m. Tuesday and asked her daughter to come with him to the send-off party at the house of their uncle, Eleazar Gonzaga, which is about 600 meters away from their house, because he was leaving for Mindanao.

Jailing Espartero is not enough to pay for his offense, instead, he should also be killed like what he did to her daughter, Mrs. Guasa said.

Silverio said the crime was committed between 9 to 10 p.m. because, according to Gonzaga, Espartero and the victim left his house at about 9 p.m. There were also no witnesses because the area where the body of Guasa was found is dark and remote, he said.

Espartero, who is now detained at the lockup cell of the Victorias City police, remained silent about his alleged role in the crime but his mother told the police that he arrived home at about 10 p.m. Tuesday, packed his things and said that he needed to leave because he had killed one of their relatives.

Guasa’s body has already undergone an autopsy to ascertain whether she had indeed, been raped.

Rape with homicide or murder charges will be filed against Espartero, the police said.*APN

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