Dismembered body of girl found in North Cotabato town

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KIDAPAWAN CITY, Philippines — Residents of the Nicaan village in Libungan, North Cotabato, were horrified to find, on Saturday afternoon, the dismembered remains of a 14-year old girl, who had been reported missing since Feb. 15.

The residents discovered the body of Mary-Ann Macunan after noticing stray dogs viciously fighting over something, Rey Dimasuay, the village’s chief said.

Dimasuay said that when several villagers checked what the dogs were fighting over, they discovered the dismembered remains of a human on a grassy portion near the cluster of houses in the village.

“Some of the parts had been detached already but the cadaver was still identifiable and it belonged to the missing girl,” he said.

Dimasuay said Macunan, a first year high school student at the Nicaan National High School, failed to return to her boarding house after she left on Feb. 15, purposely to visit her grandmother, who has been living in the nearby village.

Dimasuay said they suspected that the girl was raped before being killed.

“Her underwear was found several meters away from where her body was found,” he said.

North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza told a local radio station she has ordered the police to fast-track its investigation of the crime and bring the perpetrators before the bar of justice.