Missing boy found dead in remote Bataan village

MARIVELES, Bataan — A 7-year-old boy, who went missing on Dec. 17, was found dead Monday in a remote village of Balon-Anito in this coastal town, authorities said Tuesday.

Police have yet to disclose the circumstances surrounding the death of James Mathew Ricardo, a Grade 2 pupil.

Colonel Romell Velasco, Bataan police director, said an autopsy of the boy’s body would be performed to determine the cause of death.

The investigators did not say whether the boy was shot or stabbed with a blunt object.

The initial report said a rescue team from the municipal disaster risk reduction and management office discovered the boy’s body in the forested area of Balon-Anito, covered in jute sacks, sand, and dried leaves.

Sandro Ricardo, the boy’s father, positively identified his son.

The father told police investigators he had no idea why his son was killed in such a manner, adding that their family had no known enemies in the community. INQ

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