Toilet in driver’s home yields body of 7-year-old

CEBU CITY—A 7-year-old boy allegedly killed by his mother’s live-in partner was found buried in a shallow grave inside the toilet of the suspect’s house on Tuesday.

The body of Gabriel Morales was found wrapped in a yellow bed sheet and placed inside a small pit beside a toilet bowl in the suspect’s house in Riverside B, Barangay Subangdaku, Mandaue City, according to Chief

Insp. Wilson Abot, Mandaue City Police Station 5 chief.

The suspect, Mario Abecia, 42, a driver, was arrested on Monday after he was tagged by his live-in partner, Christine Morales, as the one who killed Gabriel.

Christine told police Abecia abducted Gabriel on Saturday. Christine worked with police to set up a meeting with Abecia at a lodge in Mandaue on Monday where Abecia was arrested.

Abecia, however, refused to disclose where Gabriel was. On Tuesday, neighbors of Abecia complained of foul odor and flies coming from Abecia’s house.

Village officials sought police help and the boy’s body was found. Abot quoted Abecia as saying he didn’t mean to kill the boy but just use him against Christine whom Abecia suspected of having an affair with another man.

Abecia was quoted as saying he would have killed Christine and the man who was seeing her.