By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD CITY – The substance recovered from a rented house formerly occupied by the family of a slain teenage student in Barangay Sum-ag tested negative for methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu, according to the police.
This result was confirmed by Police Captain Michael Tuburan, head of Police Station 9, based on a crime laboratory report released on Friday night, August 30.
“It looked like shabu, but it tested negative,” Tuburan said.
On the evening of Thursday, August 29, the cousin of the slain 15-year-old Grade 10 student turned over six sachets of what was believed to be shabu, valued at P200,000, to Police Station 9.
She found the sachets inside a drawer while cleaning the former rented house of the victim’s stepfather and mother.
Tuburan stated that an investigation is underway to determine who owned the substance and how it ended up in the house, as the victim’s family had already moved to a relative’s home.
He also suggested that someone might have entered the house after the victim’s family left.
When asked if this discovery could be an attempt to divert the investigation into the victim’s death, Tuburan assured that it would not affect the ongoing inquiry, as authorities are closely monitoring and investigating the case.
The victim went missing on July 30, a day after she was last seen attending a half-day class at her school.
Her body was found two weeks later in a sugarcane field in Barangay Cubay, La Carlota City, Negros Occidental, on August 14.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)-Bacolod recently revealed that, based on the stepfather’s confession, he had molested his stepdaughter since she was 12.
However, the stepfather denied any involvement in her death.
The NBI had previously identified the stepfather as a suspect, citing evidence that linked him to the crime.
The victim’s mother also recently shared information with the NBI, prompting them to summon the stepfather.
However, the authorities were not convinced by his statements regarding his stepdaughter’s death.
Authorities are exploring all leads that could help identify the perpetrator.
Tuburan added that they are providing security for the family while the investigation into the victim’s murder continues.
