Girl raped, killed in San Juan

MANILA, Philippines - A 13-year-old girl who left her home to return a book she borrowed from a classmate five days ago was found dead yesterday at a grassy lot in San Juan City.

The body of Sheena Mae Robles, of Haig street in Barangay Bagong Silang, Mandaluyong City was decomposing when it was found at a vacant lot along F. Blumentritt street in Barangay Kabayanan. She was a third grader at the Eulogio Rodriguez Integrated School.

Police said Sheena Mae’s face was smashed, she had broken forearms, and fractured bones in her chest. She was naked from the waist down, her feet spread-eagled and her two hands were raised, indicating that she may have been raped, police said.

The girl’s aunt, Margie Robles, said the victim left their residence at 7 p.m. last March 2 to return a book she borrowed from a classmate, a certain Dianne. Margie identified her niece’s body through her dress, headband, and an umbrella she told the victim to bring when she left their house.

“I asked her if she could… return the book the next day because it was already dark. But she told me she needed to return the book because (they have exams) the following day. So I allowed her to go,” Margie said.

When Sheena Mae failed to return, Margie said they searched for her but nobody came forward to report her whereabouts.

At about 4:30 a.m. yesterday, jeepney barker Jeffrey Eleccion went to the vacant lot to relieve himself, but ran from the area after a foul smell led him to Sheena Mae’s decomposing body.

Eleccion reported his find to the authorities. The girl’s body was taken to the Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory in Camp Crame for autopsy.

‘Thank you’

Margie said she took Sheena Mae, the third among six children, from her parents and shouldered her tuition and school expenses because her family is “too poor.”

She said that on the last night she saw her niece, Sheena Mae was “unusually sad,” though she was normally a “witty, cheerful child” who was very close to her classmates and neighbors.

“The last night that I saw her, she wrote, ‘Thank you, Tita, for taking care of me. I love you.’ She also wrote ‘I love you’ on the picture of her mother, who is about to give birth this month. She was very excited to see her new sibling and her mother was about to take her back to their house in the province,” Margie said.

She said that prior to the incident, Sheena Mae was complaining about a group of scavengers who pestered her and threw sand at her every time they pass by her house.

“Those scavengers live a few blocks away from our house, along a creek. They used to fetch water from my house. But since my niece was found dead, they no longer came here,” Margie said.

Police are investigating the possibility that Sheena Mae knew her killers.

“The suspects could be the victim’s friends or have befriended her. There were no witnesses who could tell us if they heard a commotion at the vacant lot where the victim was found. It is also possible that the victim was just dumped there. But we are still looking into all possibilities,” Senior Police Officer 3 Leonito Iringan said.