25-year-old ma kills autistic daughter in NCotabato

NORTH COTABATO, Philippines - Lawmen arrested Thursday a 25-year-old mother who killed her autistic daughter early this week in a bizarre incident in Makilala town in the province.

Neighbors learned of the gruesome killing by Jocelyn Deniyo of her daughter when they noticed a foul smell from underneath a heap of garbage at the suspect’s backyard in Barangay Bulatukan in Makilala.

Barangay officials, who acted in complaint of villagers, investigated and found  the decomposing remains of Deniyo’s child covered by a mound of garbage, face wrapped in duct tape, hogtied.

Arnold Arkino, chairman of Barangay Bulatukan, said Deniyo readily confessed to having killed her child by suffocation.

Arkino said Deniyo claimed to have decided to murder her own daughter "due to poverty," apparently despondent over her being unemployed.

Arkino said Deniyo had told barangay officials she could no longer afford to sustain her autistic daughter.