Man butchers, burns 2 kids

TWO children were killed and their bodies burned beyond recognition by a man who is believed to be suffering from Down syndrome.

Chief Inspector Elmer Acuña, Police Station 6 commander, identified the victims as John Larry Mendoza, 9, and Jessiedel Manalo, 11, both of Purok 7, Tugbungan village, east of Zamboanga City.

Mendoza was a Grade II pupil while Manalo, the daughter of Mendoza’s sister, was a Grade IV pupil at the Tugbungan Elementary School.

Acuña said the charred remains of the victims were found at a residential compound owned by Alfred Miranda, 42, in the village of Talon-Talon.

Miranda who was tagged as the culprit in the killings of the children was arrested by the police.

Miranda denied the accusation, saying he held the two children but he let them go around 11 a.m. of Saturday.

Investigation showed that the victims along with two other companions who were collecting scrap materials to be sold in junkshops have entered Miranda’s compound around 9 a.m. Saturday, Acuña said.

He said Miranda caught the two victims but their two companions namely Joshua Manalo and France Patrick Pantaleon managed to escape.

Rosana Manalo, the mother of Jessiedel, said she only learned of the incident in the afternoon of Saturday.

Rosana said they sought the assistance of the Talon-Talon village watchmen and proceeded to Miranda’s house to look for the two children.

Acuña said the charred remains of the victims were found around 11 p.m. Saturday.

Rosana said that Jessiedel, the fourth of her nine children, usually sells vegetables on weekends. But last weekend the child went along with her brother to look for scrap materials since there weren’t vegetables to be sold.

Acuña said they have filed two counts of murder against Miranda before the City Prosecutor’s Office on Monday.

Miranda remained firm in denying his involvement in the killing of the two children, saying they were killed by some drug addicts.

He could not however name any of the drug addicts he was accusing to be behind the killing of the two children. (Bong Garcia)