Wednesday, June 18, 2008 Sign language helps lone witness lead cops to suspect in girl’s death
POLICE yesterday arrested a man who made charcoal for a living, after a deaf-mute witness tagged him responsible for the death of a high school senior in Samboan town.
SPO1 Dominador Ferrolino of the Samboan Police Station said they arrested Demosthenes Mirasol, 45, yesterday afternoon after Jonathan Señagan, 32, said he saw the man push 15-year-old Myrish May Potel off a cliff in Sitio Parian, Barangay San Sebastian.
Ferrolino said it took some time but that they managed to communicate with Señagan using sign language.
Potel’s parents said she left their house Sunday afternoon to go to a classmate’s house.
Cliff
She failed to return home and was found dead, with serious head injuries, at the foot of a 15-meter-deep cliff.
Señagan told police that at 3 p.m. that day, he saw Mirasol grab Potel and try to rape her.
But the girl reportedly resisted, prompting Mirasol to grab a rock and hit her head with it.
He then pushed her, causing her to roll down the hill and fall off the cliff.
Ferrolino said they are going to seek help from a teacher who knows sign language so they can finalize Señaga’s affidavit.
Mirasol is now detained at the Samboan Police Station.
He hails from Barangay Inadlay, Santander, right next to Sitio Parian.
Also, a man who reportedly suffered from mental problems jumped into a deep well and drowned in Aloguinsan town.
Diomedes Deniega, 32, was reportedly confined at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center’s psychiatric ward in March.
At 7:30 p.m. Sunday, he reportedly jumped into a deep well in Barangay Esperanza, Aloguinsan and drowned. (MEA)
