Heavy rains or even typhoons can’t stop her from going to school. But 13-year-old Jelina Lahoy-Lahoy can no longer finish her studies after she was found dead in an abandoned well in barangay Tigbawan, Tabuelan town, southeast Cebu.
“Buotan ning bataa(She was a good girl),” said PO2 Gilbert Allego of the Tabuelan police quoting Jelina’s parents. “Her (Jelina) parents said even if it rains, or there’s a typhoon, she would borrow an umbrella from the Tigbawan barangay hall just to go to school. She only gets absent from school when she’s sick.”
Jelina was found dead in a dried well around 11 a.m. yesterday after she was reported missing last Thursday.
In a phone interview, Insp. Roberto Hugo, chief of the Tabuelan police, said it was possible that Jelina was raped or sexually abused before her body was thrown into the dried well which was about 18 meters deep.
“It was possible that she was strangled with a T-shirt. Her hands were tied with a plastic straw, and she was thrown off the well and the impact may have caused her injuries in the head,” said Allego
Jelina would have turned 14 on July 10.
Police investigation revealed that Jelina failed to return home from school last Thursday. Her parents Corazon and Romendo, both farmers, became worried and sought help from neighbors to locate their daughter.
Police said Jelina, a sophomore high school student of San Miguel National High School in San Remigio town, would usually arrive home in sitio Dalinson around 7 p.m.
Police said Jelina, the youngest in the brood of seven, would often walk home together with her classmates.
The girl would be left walking home alone because her house is far from San Remigio.
Police said the walk was about three kilometers
Police said Jelina’s family and neighbors started looking for her at 10 p.m. and finally reported the girl’s disappearance to the Tabuelan police when the search turned out empty.
The search continued around 7 a.m. yesterday until the girl’s uncle Lando found her body in an abandoned well around 8 a.m.
Police said the well was about 2 kilometers away from Jelina’s house. There were no houses built near the well.
The body was turned upside-down and her face was filled with mud.
Police said Jelina’s skirt uniform was gone and she had only had a white T-shirt and gray shorts on.
Police said visible scratches were seen on Jelina’s chest.
Police said Jelina’s knapsack was missing.
“It was possible that she (Jelina) was a victim of random violence, she was raped or sexually abused.” said Hugo.
Police said it was possible that Jelina knew her murderer.
Jelina’s body was brought to the town’s health center for autopsy, said police.