(December 18, 2023) – A missing seven-year-old child was found dead in Leyte last Friday, the local unit of the Philippine National Police (PNP) confirmed on Monday, identifying the helper of the family as the suspect.
PMaj. Neil Fernando Cerdeña, the chief of the Calubian Municipal Police Station, said the helper, Kevin Lapu-Lapu, will remain in their custody until the prosecutor orders his turnover to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology. Cerdeña said they filed a murder case against the 27-year-old suspect, pointing to revenge as a motive for the awful crime.
“‘Yung kapatid ng suspect at ‘yung nanay ng biktima, nagkaroon ng argumento at nagresulta na nagkaroon sila ng physical na pag-aaway, talagang nagkasakitan sila at ‘di naman ‘yun nai-report sa pulis. Dinamdam ito ng suspect at pinagplanuhan niya ‘yung gagawin niya,” said Cerdeña.
Last December 14, the family of the victim filed a missing persons report to seek the help of the authorities in finding the child. When their search yielded no result, Cerdeña said they sought permission from the local government unit to access the footage from CCTV cameras in the area.
“Luckily, nahagip (ng CCTV) ‘yung bata kasama ‘yung suspect na naglalakad then sumakay sila sa tricycle,” said Cerdeña.
He said Lapu-Lapu lured the child to come with him by promising to get him a spider.
“‘Yun kasi ‘yung uso sa mga bata—‘yung mga gagamba pinaglalaban nila at pinangakuan ng suspek na manghuhuli sila ng gagamba sa bukid kaya sumama ‘yung bata,” added Cerdeña.
The lifeless body of the boy was retrieved from Sitio Lawad in Barangay Palid 1.
Many netizens condemned the gruesome crime. Videos and photos related to the incident were shared on social media as they called for justice over what happened to the child.
As of press time, News5 is still trying to reach out to the victim’s family.
Cerdeña said the CCTV footage they gathered will be used as part of the prosecution’s evidence to strengthen the case against Lapu-Lapu.
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