The suspect in the alleged rape-murder of a 10-year-old girl has turned himself in to police in Claveria town, Misamis Oriental after the victim's corpse was discovered Saturday morning.
The Claveria Municipal Police Station identified the suspect as Ariel Limas, 28, married, and a resident of the same town's Sitio Minantang.
According to police, the suspect admitted raping and killing the minor, who went missing on March 1.
The victim was on her way home from school when the suspect kidnapped her, according to a preliminary police investigation.
The victim's family sought assistance from the police and the community, including the local government.
The victim's grandfather, a retired police officer, initially suspected the suspect's father was a person of interest because of a scratch on him.
However, the suspect eventually confessed to the crime and led authorities to the victim's location.
Investigators recovered the victim's cadaver from Sitio Ban-Ban, Barangay Ane-I, where it had been placed in a sack and submerged in a creek with rocks to weigh it down.
The cadaver was brought to this city by the Regional Forensic Unit 10 for autopsy.
The victim's father, Kenneth Bual, thanked the local government, police, and community for their assistance.
