A 16-year-old was raped and killed and a six-year-old was raped in separate Takeo province attacks, according to police.
On Sunday, the six-year-old was found alive but in serious condition in a hole on the grounds of a pagoda in Samraong district, police said. An elderly woman who had come to the pagoda to light incense sticks and give food to monks in commemoration of Pchum Ben found the girl.
The girl had disappeared from her grandmother’s house at about 9 pm on Sept 14, according to police. The girl’s grandmother had left the house for a few minutes to use the bathroom.
When she returned, the lamp inside the house had been turned off and the girl was gone.
“She asked the neighbors because she thought her granddaughter had gone to someone’s house to watch a video. But no one knew where she was,” provincial police Chief Nou Sangva said.
When the girl was found, her breathing was shallow and she was very weak, Nou Sangva said. She was taken to Takeo provincial hospital.
Police believe a military boot found near the pagoda belongs to 21-year-old Vong Pann, Nou Sangva said. Vong Pann disappeared at the same time as the girl, but has since been arrested.
On Monday, a 16-year-old identified only as Ren was assaulted at about 7:30 pm as she returned from a friend’s home in Traing district. Nou Sangva said she was beaten and tied at the neck before she was raped.
Ren’s body was found floating in a lake 50 meters from her home Tuesday, Nou Sangva said. Her trousers and underwear had been torn, he said.
One small boy told police he saw a man standing near the road where Ren was seen walking, Nou Sangva said.
“Our conclusion is that the perpetrator is located near her house. But police need to collect more information before arresting him,” Nou Sangva said.
