Teenager found dead on QC vegetable plot

MANILA, Philippines—A teenager who helped harvest vegetables grown on a vacant lot in Quezon City was found dead on the same lot early Thursday morning, less than eight hours after he was abducted by unidentified armed men the night before.

Jefferson delos Santos, 17, was found lying on his belly on the vacant lot owned by Banco Filipino in Barangay Lupang Pangako in Payatas B.

PO2 Anthony Tejerero said the boy suffered several puncture wounds on the chest, apparently inflicted with an ice pick, and a gash at the back of his head. The investigator said he also noted bruises all over the victim’s body.

The victim’s body was discovered around 5:30 a.m. by his mother, Evelyn, who had been searching for him the night before.

Tejerero said Delos Santos was abducted by armed men around 10 p.m. Wednesday while he was in the company of his employer, Ariel Concepcion, who made a living selling vegetables and had hired the boy to help harvest vegetables grown on the Banco Filipino lot.

Concepcion said he was with the victim the night before aboard his jeep, which had come from the vacant lot, when four men armed with pistols blocked the vehicle. One of the men trained a flashflight on Concepcion’s face, blinding him to the point he could not recognize the men.

Tejerero reported Concepcion as saying that one of the armed men then asked the teenager if he was Delos Santos. When the boy answered yes, the men pulled him out of the jeep and dragged him away.

One of the men stayed behind for a few moments, warning Concepcion to leave for his own good.

The employer then went to the victim’s parents to inform them of the abduction, prompting an all-night search for the boy. Police said they searched the vacant lot Wednesday night but found nothing and it was only when the victim’s mother went to the lot again early Thursday that she saw her son’s body.

It was not immediately clear if the victim was killed on the spot or elsewhere.

Tejerero said the victim appeared to have no known enemies in the community, although police were checking Delos Santos’ records in the barangay for leads.