Peace Corps Volunteer Found Dead

(Manila, Philippines) After 10 days of searching, soldiers believe they found the body of U.S. Peace Corps volunteer Julia Campbell, 40, in a shallow grave near the village of Batad about 160 miles north of Manila. Police suspect that she may have been murdered.

According to Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres, Philippine Army spokesman, "... the smell of the American volunteer worker's protruding foot caught the attention of a K-9 unit of a search and recovery team."

From ABS-CBN:

Torres said US embassy officials are already proceeding to the site to identify the body.

He said authorities including Scene of the Crime Office personnel are investigating the cause of Campbell's death. Forensic examination of the body of the American volunteer will be conducted.

Campbell, 40, went missing on April 8 after embarking on a hike to view the famous Banaue Rice Terraces. A former journalist, Campbell, of Fairfax, Virginia, came to the Philippines in 2005 and had been working as a teacher at a college in eastern Legazpi City.

Police earlier said Campbell might have fallen off a cliff. They denied that Campbell was kidnapped by communist guerrillas.

Typically a fall doesn't result in a shallow grave, no matter how mountainous the terrain. Nonetheless, positive identification of the remains awaits confirmation.


[Update 04/22/07]

Campbell confirmed murdered.