Kimberly Autida, 19 years old, was quite active in the beauty contest scene. But her dream of becoming a beauty queen, and other plans in life, ended in vain all too suddenly and so soon.
The body of Kimberly was discovered at a grass patch at Barangay Adecor in Samal, Davao del Norte, hands tied and her body bearing signs that she had been raped and then killed.
Investigators suspect her attacker may have staked her out nearby, on a route that Kimberly frequented on the way to the house of her grandmother, and molested her.
Initial investigation indicated that she suffered blows to her abdominal portion near the site of the liver, and could have been strangled.
Her father, Jerson Autida, sadly told News5: “Maayopa ako ang guipatay kontra sa akong anak. Dako kaayo og pangarap ang akong anak … Buotan na nga bata. Naa pa mi sa simbahan. Choir pa gani na siya didto sa usep mintal (It would have been better if I was the one killed. She had big plans. She’s a good child. She was even a member of the church choir).”
Authorities have picked up a suspect: A young man who is said to have adored Kimberly.
Police Supt Noel Asumen said the youth, identified as Elvin Juna, bore signs of abrasion on his limbs that could be indicative of a struggle or him having possibly been involved in a struggle.
Elvin denied the suspicions thrown at him, explaining that the scratches on his skin were from his having hauled coconuts the day before. “Naa koy mga samad kay naghakot mi og lubi gahapon. Nadakdak ko (I slipped on the way).”
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