1 month ago
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CEBU CITY — Police are investigating the death of a 6-year-old boy whose headless body was discovered in a river in Barangay Kawayan, Tabogon town, northern Cebu.
John Jio Caballes of Barangay Libjo was reported missing by his father, Jay-r Caballes, on Jan. 10, 2025, after he failed to return home on Jan. 9.
The widower, a security guard, often brought his son to work or left him in the care of neighbors since there was no one else to look after the child.
The decomposing body of the boy was found at 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 17., lying on a rock in a nearly dried-up river. The severed head was discovered 18 meters away.
A resident, 61-year-old Elmer Liquin, stumbled upon the boy's remains while gathering bamboo shoots.
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Police are waiting for the results of the autopsy to determine the circumstances and cause of the boy's death. While no suspects have been identified, foul play has not been ruled out.
Jay-r recalled seeing his son alive for the last time on Jan. 9 when they prepared to sell fish near his workplace. He returned home later that day and found only his 3-year-old son in the house, with no sign of Jio.
Neighbors joined the father in an overnight search for the boy before Jay-r formally filed a missing person's report at the police station the following day. Jio's relatives also used social media to ask for help locating the child.
More than a week after his disappearance, the boy's lifeless body was found, wearing the same clothes his father had identified.
SSgt. Bernard Navarro of the Tabogon Police Station said some residents described the boy as mischievous, but Jay-r remembered his eldest son as a good child with no known enemies in the area.
Police are intensifying their efforts to find clues and have assured the public of a thorough investigation to bring justice to the young victim.
Meanwhile, the boy's autopsy results, expected soon, may shed light on the circumstances leading to his death, the police said.
