A girl, believed to be a minor, was found dead and partially buried in a rice field in Mambato, Agora, Lapasan early this morning, April 29.
According to Police Maj. Amir Maruhon, chief of the Agora Police Station, they received a call at around 7:30 am from a concerned citizen reporting a dead body in the area.
An identification card discovered at the crime scene indicated the victim was a resident of El Salvador City, Misamis Oriental.
The suspect, identified as Sonny Boy Ratunil Sr., also known as ‘Boy Tangkong,’ 62, a widower and laborer for a local shipping line, allegedly fled the scene carrying a bloodstained “sundang” (machete), according to witnesses.
“Gitakas sa crime scene dala ang sundang nga naa pay dugo,” said Maruhon in an interview with iFM-RMN dxCC.
Initial police investigation revealed the victim had been last seen with Ratunil on April 27. Witnesses claimed the two were in a relationship.
“Iyang gipa ila as iyang (suspect) uyab, ug uban sila,” one witness said.
The victim reportedly sustained stab wounds to the neck, the back of the neck, and her feet.
A manhunt is ongoing, and Ratunil remains at large. Police have yet to determine the exact location where the killing took place before the body was dumped in the rice field.
