POLICE are now preparing a murder charge against a 45-year-old man over the death of a 12-year-old girl in Purok 3-C, Barangay Tibalog, Sto. Tomas, Davao del Norte on Saturday.
Maj. Frederick Deles, the chief of the Sto. Tomas Police Station, said they had taken custody of the suspect, who also allegedly yielded shabu from his watch pocket during a body search.
According to the report, the police received a report from the municipal government about a body found in Purok 3-C. A team, led by SMSgt. Santiago Alamillo and the duty investigator of the Women and Children Protection Desk, proceeded to the area.
They were met with the father of the girl who found his daughter around 3:15 p.m. of July 25 floating at the irrigation canal with injuries on her head and face and a twine tied around her neck. The girl was earlier reported missing.
She was last seen on Friday morning with her neighbor, alias Boy , 45, a resident of the same place. Another witness also allegedly saw the suspect dragging what appeared to be a sack toward the place where the girl was found.
The suspect also hurried left the place after a few minutes. Since then, he went into hiding.
A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the suspect at the house of his brother-in-law in Purok 2-A.
Police investigators are still looking at whether the victim was raped or not.
