Body of female toddler found floating in Pasig River

View of the Pasig River. PHOTO BY RICK ALBERTO

MANILA, Philippines – The body of an unidentified female child was found floating in Pasig River in Manila late Wednesday afternoon, the police said.

Senior Police Officer 2 Disilito Custodio, case investigator, said no one has come forward yet to claim the body of the girl, around 1 to 2 years old, which was brought to the Rizal Memorial funeral homes in Barangay (village) New Zañiga.

The child, about 75 centimeters tall and of somewhat fair complexion, was wearing only a white-and-red-striped blouse when found floating in the river in Barangay Barangka-Ilaya at past 4 p.m. Wednesday by a group of minors.

Custodio said the minors initially threw stones at the body, thinking it was a doll, until they realized it was a cadaver.

Following the westward water current, Custodio surmised the body had floated down from the Makati, Manila or Pasig areas.

The cadaver, however, did not appear bloated, an indication it might have been in the water for only a few hours when it was found.

There were no signs of sexual assault so far, Custodio said.

Investigators have also yet to determine how the child got the wound on her right brow and whether she had accidentally fallen into the river or was assaulted.