Police: Suspect’s claim linking 3 others to girl’s killing to be verified

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Talisay City Police do not consider the killing of 10-year-old, Kiara Marie Namanama, as a closed case yet despite the arrest of a major suspect.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Randy Caballes, chief of the Talisay City Police, said in a phone conference on January 13, 2022, that the suspect, Ian Rey Baculi, had revealed that there were three other persons involved in the crime.

“Ato na ning gipainvestigate aron maverify if naa ba gyoy kauban kato siya (Baculi). Gipangita nato ug ato gyong imbestigaran kung unsa katinood ang statement with regards sa katong tulo,” said Caballes.

(We are investigating this so that this can be verified if he (Baculi) indeed has cohorts in the crime. We are looking for them and we are investigating on how true his statements are with regards to the three other suspects.)

Pending the verification and confirmation of the involvement of these three other suspects, Caballes said that they would continue to consider the case open until the truth would be found out.

Caballes notes that Baculi may be making allegations to have his murder case reduced. Yet it was reported that some witnesses have also confirmed multiple suspects.

“Hot pursuit gihapon ni ang sa tulo. Atong gicheck lang, nagconduct lang tag investigation sa iyang statement nga naa siyay kuyog, subject to investigation and verification. Tinood ba kaha ning tulo or gialleged ra ni niya. Ongoing pa atong investigation,” said Caballes.

(We are conducting a hot pursuit operation on the three. We are checking, we are conducting an investigation on his statement that he has companions, subject to investigation and verification. Is it true that he has three other companions or he just alleged or made this up. Our investigation is still ongoing.)

In an interview through a local radio station, DYHP, on January 13, 2022, Baculi said he was instigated by his three friends to do the crime.

“Upat mi. Dili (ra ako usa). Nag-una sila sa babaw…akong mga barkada giingnan ko nila nga ‘kanang bataa sundi na’ mao na akong gisundan. Mga maguwang silang edad,” said Baculi in the interview.

(We were four. I was not the only one. They went ahead on the higher area … and my friends told me to follow that kid that is why I followed her. They were all older than me.)

The suspect claimed that it was his three friends who drowned and strangled the victim before they took her to a secluded area, where they allegedly committed the rape.

He further claimed that he was forced by the three other suspects to rape the victim. He was allegedly the last person to have raped the victim.

He was allegedly threatened to be killed if he did not follow their instructions, which was why he committed the crime.

He was tasked to carry the body of the victim to the cave, which was why he was the one seen by witnesses. However, upon reaching the cave, his three other friends buried the victim while he went ahead on his way.

Baculi claimed that he left the cave ahead of the three other suspects, and they were the ones who buried the victim’s body inside the cave.

Baculi has been revealed to be a distant cousin of the victim and he confessed to using illegal drugs such as shabu. He worked on a construction site for two months prior to the alleged crime.

In his previous statements, shortly after his arrest, Baculi confessed to killing the victim through drowning and strangulation. He dragged the victim back to the river and strangled her there until she died.

The 10-year-old girl victim was then found partly buried in a cave in Barangay Tapul on January 9. She was reported missing by her parents last January 6. 

Shortly before she went missing, she was with her mother and older brother doing laundry and taking a bath in the river situated a few meters away from the cave where her corpse was discovered. 

With the new developments, Cabales assured the public that they were exhausting all efforts to investigate and find and confirm the three other suspects claimed by Baculi.

“Naningkamot gyod atong kapulisan 24/7 pagpangita sa atong suspect. Nagpasalamat ta sa support sa witnesses nga nihatag og information nga naidentify gyod nato ang suspect,” said Caballes.

(Our police are working hard to find the suspect. We thank the support of the witness, who gave information and that we really identified the suspect.)

He said that the Talisay City Police’s goal would be to give the utmost justice to Namanama and her family.

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/dbs