AN eight-year-old girl is fighting for her life after being found brutally beaten and partially unclothed in Mabalacat City, Pampanga. The victim, identified only by the alias “Amy,” is a resident of Mabalacat City.
She was rushed to the hospital by North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) personnel after being discovered nearly unconscious, covered in bruises and wounds all over her body. According to authorities, Amy was reported missing by her mother on October 19, after failing to return home that night.
With the help of barangay officials, the family reviewed CCTV footage from a nearby internet shop – the last place the child was seen. The footage shows Amy sitting inside the shop, watching other children play on the computers when a man approached her and tapped her on the shoulder. The child immediately followed the man and was not seen again.
Police later identified the suspect as “Christian,” 20, a helper and resident of the same barangay as the victim. Based on the investigation by the Mabalacat City Police, Christian allegedly offered the child P20 in exchange for her company.
Amy often went to the internet shop, where her older sister worked. During questioning, barangay officials said the suspect admitted to taking the child to a secluded area near the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX).
It was in that area that NLEX personnel found the child nearly unconscious and severely injured. Medical reports indicate that Amy sustained severe head and body injuries, believed to be caused by being struck with a rock. The Philippine National Police (PNP) confirmed that the child was also a victim of sexual assault. Barangay Bantay Bayan volunteers arrested the suspect and turned him over to the Mabalacat City Police Station. He now faces charges of statutory rape and frustrated murder.
