An eight-year-old boy was found dead in a river in Barangay Suba, Cebu City early yesterday morning.
People in the area believed Mark Adrian Carl Araniel might have drowned after he fell into the river.
He was rushed to the Cebu City Medical Center but was declared dead on arrival, his family said.
Araniel’s grandmother Juanita said the boy had been missing since 2 p.m. Friday.
The boy reportedly went with a friend to catch crabs along the shoreline of Suba.
The boy’s mother Elsie, who works at the Missionaries of Charity, and his father Rodel looked for Mark Adrian but were unable to find him.
Araniel’s body was found by neighbors past 5 a.m. yesterday.
“Mas maayo pa ug gidala na lang ko ning bataa sa Bohol (It would have been better if I brought him to Bohol),” said Juanita in an interview with radio DYAB.
She believed Mark Adrian fell into the river and drowned.
“Dili man gud na siya kahibaw molangoy (He did not know how to swim),” Juanita said.
The boy sustained a wound on his forehead.