Cavite police arrest suspect in killing of 11-year-old autistic girl

The suspect in the killing of an 11-year-old autistic girl in Bacoor City was arrested Tuesday night by Cavite Police investigators.

The victim's mother, Merlyn Palmero Lunes, said the suspect was a family friend who frequently played with her child. Lunes speculated that the suspect killed her child because her husband refused to lend him P500.

Lunes last saw her daughter last Sunday when the girl asked permission to play basketball at a court near their home on Sampaguita Street, Barangay Molino 3, Bacoor City.

When the victim was still not home at 6 p.m., the family sought help from the local barangay and police force. They also started handing out and posting flyers.

The victim's body was found Tuesday afternoon in an empty field in Barangay Molino 2. Police investigators said that there were indications that the victim had been strangled and bludgeoned.

The suspect was arrested a few hours later after the body was found, with the help of a witness who claimed seeing the victim and suspect together on the day the girl disappeared. — Vonne Aquino/DVM, GMA News