BiliranIsland.com Staff
BiliranIsland.com
First Posted 02:48 PM 12/16/2023
Calubian, Leyte— A seven-year-old boy from this town who was reported missing but was later learned to be kidnapped by a family errand was found dead in Brgy. Palid, Leyte. Leyte about 5:16 in the afternoon on Friday, December 15.
Calubian COP Police Major Neil Fernando Cerdeña identified the victim as Aaron, 7, Grade 1 pupil a resident of Brgy. Espinosa, of this municipality. The suspect was identified as Kevin Lapu-Lapu y Maglasang, 27, single, errand boy of the victim’s family, and a resident of Sitio Kamalig Brgy. Palid 1, Leyte, Leyte.
Case investigator Police Corporal Randolph Caratao in an interview said the victim was reportedly missing on the afternoon of Thursday, December 14 and the local police immediately conducted a thorough investigation and found out that the victim was taken by the suspect on board with a tricycle at around 2:30 in the afternoon on the same day as seen from CCTV Camera footage. On Friday, the suspect reported to work as if nothing happened and the police immediately invited him for questioning based on the CCTV findings. During interrogation the suspect revealed that he brought the victim to Sitio Lawad, Brgy. Palid 1, Leyte, Leyte and left there. The local police immediately conducted a search and retrieval operation together with the Leyte Police and were able to locate the victim in the sloppy and grassy area with no signs of life.
Corporal Caratao continued that after the recovery of the victim the suspect who was brought in the area admitted that he killed the victim as vengeance for boxing his younger brother who also works as an errand to the store of the victim’s family by the mother of the victim. He said the boxing of the victim’s mother happened after the suspects’ younger brother made a dirty finger to the 14 yr. old elder brother of the victim. The suspect was allegedly heard to avenge what was done to his younger brother. He added that the suspect admitted to him that he covered the mouth of the victim and kneeled down at the stomach of the suspect until he lost his breath.
The suspect admitted that he immediately left the victim in the area and went home. The police apprised the suspect of his Constitutional Right thru Miranda Doctrine in a language that he understood. He was immediately brought to the Calubian MPS for proper disposition and called the Biliran Forensic Unit to process the crime scene.
Further, Corporal Caratao learned that the suspect was already convicted of illegal drugs in Manila and was released from prison after the court approved his Plea-Bargaining agreement.
