Boy, 3, found dead

CEBU, Philippines - A three-year-old boy was found dead on a grassy lot at the back of St. James Amusement Park at the Reclamation Area in Mandaue City last Friday afternoon.

Results of an autopsy showed Jian Jumawan was bitten by a snake but his parents and relatives believe the boy was a victim of revenge.

Two male workers of the amusement park who discovered the body unclothed at around 3:30 p.m. Friday while cleaning a canal.

At the crime scene, the police later learned that the boy was the son of Arvin Jumawan, who was arrested for the rape last December 27 of a three-year-old girl. Jumawan has admitted to having raped the girl, a neighbor.

Both families live in makeshift tents at the lane divider at F.F Cruz at the Reclamation Area.

Since the dead boy's parents and relatives refused to believe that the child died from a snake bite, police then submitted the child to an autopsy.

However, the result of the autopsy conducted by Dr. Nestor Satur of the PNP Regional Crime Laboratory showed there were no signs of foul play.

However two punctured wounds on the jaw were found.

Satur then  ruled the boy died from a "snake bite" which parents and relative would not believe.

They said prior to the discovery of the body last Friday afternoon, people living near the place of incident saw a half-naked man who was wearing pink short pants and dragging a child towards a bushy area.

The place where the boy's body was found was also near the place where the three-year-old girl was raped last December 26.

Residents also told police during investigation that the father upon learning that her daughter was raped threatened to retaliate.

His daughter is currently confined at a hospital due to infections as a result to the rape.

Homicide chief P/Insp. Ramil Morpos in a separate interview yesterday said the result of the autopsy ends the investigation. (FREEMAN)