A 14-year-old girl was allegedly strangled to death and buried by her stepfather in Panabo City, Davao del Norte.
Police said the victim, a Grade 9 student, was reported missing on February 28, 2025.
Based on investigation, the victim was seen last having a conversation with the suspect outside the Panabo National High School.
Authorities then checked the property owned by the suspect in Barangay Little Panay as the two were also seen in the area before the victim went missing.
Police dug out the victim from a shallow hole covered by a heap of soil in the area.
The suspect reportedly owned up to the crime.
The remains of the victim will be autopsied to ascertain the cause of death, especially that she was believed to have been raped first before she was killed.
