Peace Corps Volunteer Found Dead (Updated)

An autopsy was performed and it confirmed that the remains were of Peace Corps volunteer Julia Campbell. It was also determined that she was murdered.

From GMANews.tv:

Police intensified Sunday a Luzon-wide manhunt for a 25-year-old woodcarver from Ifugao who was tagged as the killer of US Peace Corps volunteer Julia Campbell.

Campbell's decomposing body was retrieved on April 18 by Army soldiers in a shallow grave, her feet protruding from the ground, 10 days after she went missing during a solo hike in Batad to see the Banaue Rice terraces. A bloodstained piece of wood believed used in killing her was found near the grave.

Sources at the Cordillera Administrative Region Police Office identified the suspect in the killing of Campbell as Juan Dontugan, 25, 5'7" in height, fair complexion, medium-built, and described as "strong" as he is a woodcarver.

In the meantime, Campbell's family is planning a memorial service in Fairfax County, Virginia.


Previous Entry (4/18):

(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 04/27/07]

Julia Campbell honored by Philippine Congress.