Jonathan Marfe,40, was arrested at his house, which is just ten meters away from the house of the infant’s family. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
CEBU CITY—The police arrested a visitor from a nearby province after he was linked to the rape of a four-month old infant in Carcar City, about 48 km south here, last Wednesday.
Jonathan Marfe, 40, was arrested by the police on Friday in house owned by his live-in partner in Barangay Perrelos, Carcar City, just 10 meters from the house of the victim.
Chief Insp. Jose Liddawa, Carcar police chief, said Marfe is a native of Catigbian town in Bohol province who arrived in Perrelos on Monday with his live-in partner who was a native of the village.
He said Marfe was unemployed and a suspected drug user. The suspect is also facing charges of attempted rape in Bohol.
(READ: Infant’s father, 5 others, eyed as suspects in Carcar abduction, rape case)
The suspect was arrested after one of his friends told the police that he was seen going inside the house of the victim before midnight on Wednesday.
It was about the same time when the infant was taken from her mother while the two were sleeping inside their shanty.
Curtains serve as door of the shanty.
The baby was later found bloodied in a coconut field about 100 meters from her house. Physicians later said that the blood came from the lacerations in the victim’s sex organ which indicated that she had been raped.
The baby’s diaper and bottle of coconut wine were found near the baby.
Liddawa said Marfe had been drinking with his friends in his house on Wednesday night.
All his friends had been invited for questioning after they were pointed out by the neighbors as the ones who were awake at that time the crime was committed.
One of his friends later pointed to Marfe as the one whom he saw going inside the victim’s house.
The police were waiting for the result of the saliva swab taken from the suspect to check if it matched with the samples taken from the bottle of coconut wine.