Missing teen girl found dead in Pasig City
MANILA, Philippines — A teenage girl who had been missing for five days was found dead “hanging from a tree” in a private compound in Pasig City, the local police said on Tuesday.
Authorities found the body in Barangay Santolan on Monday afternoon.
“Initial investigation at the scene found a decomposing female body, fitting the description of the reported missing minor, which was hanging from a tree with a white nylon cord looped around the neck at the said compound,” the Pasig City police explained in a statement.
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Earlier reports said the teenager’s family had positively identified her body, according to Pasig top cop Col. Hendrix Mangaldan.
Despite this development, in the statement, the city police said the cadaver will undergo DNA analysis and dental records checking for further confirmation.
In a social media post last week appealing to the public for help, the teenager’s father, JR Tablate, identified the then-missing girl as Isabelle Sophia Tablate, 15.
Isabelle was last seen heading to a mall in Marikina City on March 18, according to JR.
Following the recovery of Isabelle’s body, the Pasig City police’s emergency unit and the Eastern Police District’s forensic unit conducted initial medical and technical assessments of the cadaver, while an autopsy is still pending to determine the exact cause of death.
“The Pasig City Police Station assures the public that a thorough investigation is ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident,” it stressed, noting that a special investigating team had been formed for the case.
The police have yet to give further details as to how the girl ended up at the compound and whether foul play was involved. /das
