MABINI – Was the suspect of the rape and murder of a four-year old girl here under the influence of illegal drugs? Mayor Esther Tabigue said in a phone interview that she personally convinced the suspect, a certain Maximo “Boy” Fernandez, used prohibited drugs in committing the crime.. But this could not be confirmed since he was not tested with it, she said.Describing the case as an “isolated” one, the mayor said it would be sort of abnormal for a man like Fernandez, 24, who is a “silent” type to do what the police described as heinous crime. The four-year old girl was found being molested and appeared to be bludgeoned on her head on May 6 in barangay Baybayon of this coastal town, said a police report. But the incident only got in the news just this week. The police report said that Fernandez said to be a resident of barangay here and live in his aunt, the mayor said. She added what she knew about it was that the suspect gave bread to the girl along with the other young children. Later on she was nowhere to be found.

The girl was found dead in a grassy area with a bruise on her head and a stone was found from her mouth, said the said report. The police theorized that the rape victim was strangled in her neck as indicated in the contusions. The report said the suspect was said to be drunk at the time of the victim's gory murder. It said that the murder incident took place at a time when her father, who was not named in the report, was gathering firewoods nearby. When he heard someone screamed, he immediately rushed to where the yell came from and there he saw her daughter already lying lifeless while the suspect got away. On that very day the suspect was arrested and put behind bars. The mayor said that police authorities here had already brought the suspect in this city for filing appropriate charges. The mayor said that Gov. Edgar Chatto and Vice-Gov. Concepcion Lim paid a visit last week to the family's victim. The following day, Cong. Arthur Yap followed suit.